Little White Lies
by Doppelganger13
Summary: "I don't care what they say. I don't care what you say. You are mine." Growing up in a ninja society where tomorrow cannot be promised to anyone is hard enough; but falling in love with a possessive someone whose number one priority is his clan just makes things even more difficult. Non-massacre AU. Itachi U. x Kagome H. x Kakashi H.
1. Who Are You?

**LITTLE WHITE LIES**

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**DISCLAIMER: **Naruto © and all of its characters are owned by the talented genius that is Masashi Kishimoto. Inuyasha © and all recognizable characters were created by Rumiko Takahashi.

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**1  
****Who Are You?**

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_PROLOGUE_

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His dark and tall form blocked the doorway. He was standing with his arms crossed over his chest as his onyx orbs carefully observed her.

"Are you with one of them?" he asked, his voice deceptively calm. He didn't want to ask her and he knew that he didn't even have a right to ask; but that couldn't stop him from confronting her about her behavior in the restaurant.

Kagome raised a brow at his question. He looked at her blankly, but she was sober enough to recognize that there was something flickering in his eyes.

She knew that she should just tell him the truth, that there was nothing going on, but the vindictive part of her remembered when she saw him and _his fiancee_ together in the Uchiha compounds. Her stomach clenched as the sight flashed through her mind again and she knew she wanted him to feel the same pain that she felt.

"Itachi," his body stiffened at the cold tone of her voice. "I could be sleeping with_ all_ of those guys in there and then some and it still would be none of your damn business." She smirked when she saw something akin to hurt betrayal flash through his countenance.

She knew it.

She _knew_ that he still felt something for her.

Everybody else might have bought his lies about him not caring for her but she could see past that façade.

She always could.

What she didn't expect was his reaction. Before she could even blink, she had found herself pinned to the cold stone of the restaurant, her wrists bound to the top of her head. He was looming over her, the sharingan blazing in his eyes as he appraised her form.

"Are you mocking me?"

Kagome couldn't help but wince as his fingers tightened painfully on her wrists.

But she just couldn't stop herself from trying to rile him up.

"Are _you_ enjoying playing with me?" she asked in response.

"What?"

"Oh please, Itachi. Don't act so betrayed and hurt that I'm out with other men." She pursed her lips when his eyes narrowed dangerously. "_I'm _not the one with a fiancée."

He looked at her silently for a few strained moments before releasing her. He paced a few steps away from her, exhaling sharply. "Shiori-san is-"

"I know exactly what she is. You don't have to tell me." She muttered, gingerly rubbing her bruised wrists. She was prepared to brush past him and walk back to the restaurant.

"No!"

She looked up, surprised at the sudden burst of emotion from the Uchiha.

"I mean-" he broke off, pacing again. His brows were furrowed as though he was not sure of what he wanted to say. "She does not mean anything to me. I tried._..tried_ so hard to care for her but she…it's just not the same."

_She's not you._

It was unsaid but the pair could still feel the pressure of it surrounding them as though he had just shouted it to the whole village.

Kagome slumped against the wall and watched Itachi with tired eyes. "What do you want from me Itachi?"

"I-I don't know."

She sighed, rubbing her eyes. "I mean, do you want me to wait for you. Is that it?"

Itachi stood there, silent, the sharingan in his eyes retreating, leaving only the familiar dark orbs. "I _cannot_ see you with another man. I won't let you."

Kagome's blue eyes flashed, her anger starting to rise up at his words. "Excuse me? You _won't _let me? Who do you think you are?"

His eyes blinked blankly at her. "Itachi Uchiha."

The smaller teen blanched. "You-you are so-ugh! I can't even-" she sputtered out in indignation. She stalked up to him and poked his chest, craning her head up to glare at him. "Now you listen here, you conceited Uchiha," she hissed out, only growing even more irritated when he cocked a brow, the first light of amusement glinting in the dark orbs. "I will go out with whomever I want, whenever I want, and you_ cannot_ say any-"

She was forced into speechlessness when Itachi brought her flush against his body and brought their lips together.

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_8 years ago…_

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This was the last place where she wanted to be.

10-year-old Kagome Higurashi exhaled sharply and blew a stray strand of hair out of her eyes as she leaned back against the white hospital halls. She was supposed to hang out with her older brother today but unfortunately, Bankotsu and her father had to go on a sudden ANBU mission.

She had told her mother that since she was 10, she didn't need a babysitter but her mother clearly didn't agree. _Jeez…_

So that was how she had found herself tagging along with her mother as she was taken on a mini tour of Konohagakure Hospital.

"And this is where we place the patients who we have already stabilized Kagome," her mother, Kaya Higurashi informed her.

Kagome nodded, her sapphire-colored eyes glinting with knowledge and awareness that a child of her age does not normally possess.

Her mother was a respected medic-nin and though Kagome had nothing but respect for the occupation, her dream was to be in the ANBU Black Ops like her older brother and father. Kagome fidgeted nervously as her mother looked at her expectantly, knowing full well that her mother would love nothing more than for Kagome to follow in her footsteps and become a medic-nin.

"Higurashi-san," a younger medic-nin walked up to her, a case file in his hand.

"What is it, Fuu?"

"It's Uchiha-san," he responded, his voice etched with tiredness. "He won't stop requesting to be released."

Kagome raised a brow as her mother laughed suddenly. "Ah, I see. Well, you can just give me his file, Fuu. I'll talk to the young Uchiha." The younger medic-nin gratefully handed the file over and walked back to deal with the other patients. "Come Kagome. We'll go home as soon as I talk to Itachi."

Kagome trotted after her mother, her eyes shining curiously at the new development. "Itachi Uchiha?"

"You know him?"

"Not personally…but I've heard of him." Kagome pursed her lips as she remembered what her brother had told her about the young Uchiha heir. "Apparently, he's supposed to be this really smart kid. Is it true that he graduated from the Academy when he was only seven?" She had graduated at the age of 9 and not to ruffle her own feather but she took some pride in that. For Itachi Uchiha to have graduated at _seven…_he must have been something else.

Her mother glanced at her daughter from the corners of eyes, a slight tilt to her mouth. "Yes, Itachi-kun is very intelligent for his age. It wouldn't surprise me to find out that he graduated from the Academy at such a young age…"

Kagome mulled this over as she walked beside her mother until they reached a relatively large private room. _Pshh, nothing but the best I guess for the Uchiha heir._

She waited just outside of the room as her mother strolled in. She peeked in and saw a kid around her age, laying leisurely against the headboard, a medical journal in his hand. He had shoulder length onyx black hair and dark eyes. He was definitely an Uchiha.

"Ah, Itachi-kun. What's this I hear about you tormenting poor Fuu-san?" her mother asked, smiling at the teen.

"I just needed him to sign my release forms so I can go already. I've been here for two days and-"

"You came in with some serious injuries, Itachi-kun. We just want to make sure that there are no other repercussions."

"I am fine, Higurashi-san. I just – who's that?" he cocked an elegant brow up when he noticed Kagome lurking just outside his room.

"Ah, that's my daughter Kagome," Kaya answered. Kagome reluctantly sauntered into the room when her mother called her over. "Kagome, this is Uchiha Itachi. Say hi."

Her blue eyes darted down to the medical journal that was laying on his lap and couldn't help but be impressed by the title._ Advanced Techniques to Facilitate Heightened Regeneration._ This was definitely a book not meant for children. Kagome raised a brow as her gaze drifted upwards to lock gaze with the young Uchiha. Her brow twitched at how utterly _blank _his expression was. The edges of her lips twitched into a smirk when he started to fidget under her stare.

"…You look tired," she said blandly, noting the dark shadows under his eyes, the lines of exhaustion only heightened by the light of the room. "You should just stop whining and stay put in the hospital like my mother said."

"Kagome!" Her mother slightly admonished.

Kagome rolled her eyes and plastered on a mocking smile. "Okay, okay. Hi, Uchiha Itachi. I'm Higurashi Kagome. _Nice to meet you."_

His mouth opened as if to retort. Kagome stared at him, looking at him, challenging him to say something. Itachi narrowed his eyes but decided better of it and decided to just ignore her.

Kaya looked down at her daughter and let out a small sigh of exasperation. Kagome wasn't exactly the subtlest child.

"Higurashi-san! Higurashi-san!"

The three turned to see a frantic medic nin rush inside the room, her white uniform stained completely with blood, the cloth so soaked in it that it dripped on the floor. Itachi flinched at the sight, a reflex that didn't go unnoticed by Kagome.

"What is it?"

"There's an emergency! A male shinobi was just brought in with severe lacerations on his torso and upper arms. He's suffering from severe internal bleeding. We need you downstairs immediately!"

"Alright. I'll head down."

Itachi leaned forwards. "Wait, Higurashi-san. About my papers?"

"I'll talk to you about this when I finish downstairs. Kagome, stay here until I come back," Kaya commanded, her gaze aimed at her daughter. She left but not before turning around once more. "Please not try to cause_ too_ much trouble while I'm gone."

Kagome saluted her mother, a wide smile on her face. "Will do, mother!"

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A soft click echoed around the room as the door closed behind the medic-nins. Kagome turned around, a smile on her face as she observed the bed-ridden eleven-year-old. He was currently reading the journal again and Kagome had a feeling that she had irked him earlier with her comment. _Ah, well_… "So, what's up, Uchiha?" She pranced closer to his bed when he didn't respond. "Hello? _Hello_? Uchiha, did you hear me?" She grinned when she saw his temple twitch in annoyance.

Itachi kept his eyes resolutely on the page though at this point, he didn't even understand what he was reading anymore.

Kagome was prodding the book, trying to get the brooding Uchiha to respond to her. "Hey, don't you know it's rude to ignore people when they're talking to you?" Her hand was on the top of the journal. She was about to steal it from him when his hand suddenly flashed on top of hers, gripping her hand tightly.

"_Do you mind_?" he gritted out.

She frowned in surprise at his sudden action. She didn't even see him raise his other hand. So he was quick, she'll give him that. His face was still too calm for Kagome's liking. Kami, he was only one year older than her. He was _way_ too serious for his age.

She studied him thoughtfully before a sly grin made its way over her face. "You know Uchiha-san, if you wanted to hold my hand," she began, her eyes glancing down at his hand which was still clasping her fingers, "you should have just asked."

He froze, giving her a startled look. He drew back, his expression looking a little flustered.

"Ha. I'm just kidding around with you." Kagome laughed, patting him on the back genially. He looked down at her, a small pout on his face. "Besides, you can hold my hand anytime," she winked elaborately at him, sniggering when he sputtered out indignantly.

"I don't-"

Kagome sighed, holding a hand to her forehead dramatically. "Don't worry. This'll be our little secret…"

"What_ secret_?" Itachi demanded, bemused at the younger girl's actions. She was so _weird_.

She just waved his outcry aside as she looked around the room. Despite it's larger size, it held the same furniture as the other rooms, the same wallpaper, the same light blue curtain, the same…whatever.

"Hmm…what are we going to do about that?"

Itachi looked up to see her standing and looking down inquisitively at the puddle of blood that was on his floor. He winced.

"What's the problem? Don't like the sight of blood?" Kagome asked.

"N-no," he answered hollowly. He felt a little sick. Flashes of mangled bodies strewn carelessly on the battlefield; blood splattered everywhere…He shook his head, trying to rid himself of the disturbing images.

"But you're a shinobi aren't you? Shouldn't you be used to the sight of blood?" She wasn't trying to be nosy but she was just genuinely curious about his adverse reaction to the sight of the red liquid. Seeing blood had never been much of a problem for her. After all, she had seen her mother handle patients in bad conditions numerous times; not only that, she couldn't even keep track of the times where her brother and father dragged themselves home, their uniforms drenched in blood.

But there was something in Itachi's eyes that showed that he was…uncomfortable with it.

"The sight of blood…brings back memories I would rather not remember." His voice was empty, his eyes looking past the white walls, seeing something that wasn't there, something that a child of his age, no matter if he was a prodigy or not, should have seen.

Kagome looked at him, sympathy swimming in her eyes.

Itachi looked up to see Kagome discreetly leave the room. His brows were raised when she came back, moments later, a mop in one hand, a bucket securely in her other hand.

"What are you doing?"

Kagome shrugged and smiled at him weakly. "Eh…I don't like blood that much either." Without saying another word, she silently dipped the mop and went to work on removing the blood, taking extra care to make sure there was no trace left.

Itachi tipped his head back, a strange expression on his face.

A few minutes later, when she was sure that there was no more red stains left, Kagome tugged the mop back on the bucket. "There we go," she exclaimed, grinning widely at the silent Uchiha. "Clean and spotless. Okay, let me just return this thing…I doubt the janitor would appreciate me stealing his mop. I'll be back Uchiha."

"…Wait, Higurashi-san."

She turned back, her small form hovered in the doorway.

"Thanks…" he paused, letting a small smile, "and you can just call me Itachi…"

Kagome blinked, but a wide smile erupted on her face not a second later. "No problem, Itachi. And for the record, you can call me Kagome," she responded, "Higurashi-san is my mother."

Thoughtful onyx eyes met with warm cobalt orbs.

Kagome smiled again, her previous sentiment of not wanting to be in the hospital dissipating completely.

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**NEXT TIME:**

In which Kagome finds that when it comes to his baby brother, Itachi Uchiha is actually a softie on the inside...

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**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

I originally uploaded this story as an Itachi x OC x Kakashi but I couldn't resist changing this into an Inuyasha x Naruto crossover…So yeah…hope you enjoyed it. Let me know what you think. Toodles!

**Updated: 06/21/2012**

I just finished most of chapter 2 and I'll post that up once chapter 3 is mostly written.  
Any reviewers until then will get a nice preview of chapter 2! Thanks again for reading.

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**Updated: 06/26/2012**

You guys are awesome and after reading some of your reviews, in particular those who addressed the issues of Itachi's eye color, I decided to do some web surfing and you guys are right! It was my bad. So for now, I'll change Itachi's eye color from "dark blue" to "onyx" and based on narutohq . com, Sasuke's eyes are actually dark gray. Ha...sorry for the mistake guys! By the way, I love your suggestions and some of them are definitely going to be used for future chapters.


	2. Just A Softie

**LITTLE WHITE LIES**

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**2  
****Just A Softie**

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"You should probably slow down or something. I feel like I'm going to choke just watching you eat."

Kagome rolled her eyes as her younger brother dryly commented on her rapid eating. She swallowed before sticking her tongue out, earning nothing but an eye-roll from Souta. The siblings shared the same midnight black hair and the same slightly tanned skin, but where Kagome had cobalt blue eyes, her brother inherited the warm hazel orbs of their mother. Though Souta was two years younger than the rambunctious kunoichi, it was obvious who was the more mature sibling…a fact that Souta never failed to rub in his older sister's face.

She crossed her arms over her chest as she sullenly watched him. He was lounging back against the chair, a rice ball in one hand, a comic book on the other. "Yeah, well you know what Souta? No one is forcing you to watch me eat."

Souta plopped the rice ball casually in his mouth, not bothering to take his eyes from the comic book. "But who's going to have to lug you to the hospital when you choke and pass out? Oh right…that would be _me_…"

Kagome grabbed a rice ball and prepared to chuck it at her brother when the door to their small house suddenly slammed open. There were two forms hovering in the doorway, both clothed in the traditional ANBU garb; dark blue and black slacks with white armor and greaves. Their porcelain masks were tilted up, revealing their faces. Kagome squealed in excitement, recognizing the two shinobis immediately.

"Father!" She ran up and jumped on the taller of the two, laughing when her father twirled her around before setting her down.

She craned her head up to face the other shinobi, her sparking navy eyes clashing with smiling dark cobalt ones. "Nii-san!" She stretched her hands up and grinned when her older brother leaned down to envelop her in a tight embrace. Bankotsu was seventeen and like Souta and her, he had slightly tanned skin. Like Kagome, they both inherited the same blue eyes as their father. She tugged him over to the table as her father greeted Souta, tousling his hair affectionately.

"Kagome, it's good to see you're as hyperactive as ever," Bankotsu replied toothily, slumping down against the chair.

"Souta, good job keeping your sister out of trouble while we're away," Kagome's father joked.

The younger of the Higurashi brothers snickered. "Well," he sighed dramatically, "it's been hard but someone's got to do it."

"Ha. Ha."

"Alright, well enjoy your breakfast kids," her father said, leaving the dining room to head into his bedroom.

Bankotsu leaned forward on the table, propping himself on his elbows. He looked down at his sister who resumed back to eating her breakfast quickly. "So what's the plan for today?"

"I'm going to the hospital to visit a friend," Kagome answered. A bit of warmth spread through her, realizing that she could actually refer to one Itachi Uchiha as a _friend_. It had been only two days since they met but she had been spending more than a bit of her time with the young Uchiha. When she wasn't doing missions with her team or helping her mother out in the hospital, she was usually lounging in Itachi's room.

She had been wrong about the Uchiha heir. Based on what she had heard about him, she always presumed he was some aloof, spoiled little brat. She had heard that he was one of those silent types during his Academy years; though he had graduated with the highest honors and a reputation as one of the most promising shinobis in his generation, he didn't exactly garner many friends along the way.

It was true that he was quite the serious little ninja but as Kagome discovered during their hours and hours of conversation – much of which was comfortably dominated by her – he was also quite the little pacifist. It was clear to Kagome that he wanted nothing than a semblance of peace in his life. It was a trait that both confounded and endeared her to the 10-year-old prodigy. For a shinobi such as him, it was odd that he harbored such sentiments.

"A friend?"

"Yeah, a _friend_," Kagome raised a brow. "Is it so hard to believe that I have a friend?"

Bankotsu was about to respond when Souta answered instead. "Yeah, it is _you_ we're talking about here – ow!" He sniggered, dodging when Kagome made a move to punch him again.

"Shut up Souta!" Kagome muttered. "And just so you know, I have friends okay!"

"Whatever."

Bankotsu shifted, his blue eyes lighting with amusement as he watched his two younger siblings bickering playfully. He gently gripped Kagome's hand when she started moving towards the 8-year-old with a chopstick.

"And what are you doing today, Souta?" Bankotsu asked, tugging the chopstick out of her hand.

Souta grinned. "I'm going to the training grounds with Kakashi-sempai. He's going to help me with shuriken training."

"Kakashi-kun?" Her mind drifted to a smiling silver-haired shinobi, one of those weird books permanently in his hand. Kagome tugged at Souta's sleeve. "How did you get him to agree to do that?"

"I have my ways."

Kagome pouted. "Why didn't you tell me you were training with him today? I would have gone with you."

Souta shrugged. "I would have told you but you were spending all that time in the hospital anyways. I figured you were too busy."

She looked away, exhaling unhappily.

"Aw, I'll train with you Kagome," Bankotsu offered.

"No offense, nii-san," she sniffed, "but it's not the same."

"…"_What was up with that?_ He thought mildly. Kagome was his little sister and he was just used to her always following him around. Whenever he offered to train with her in the past, she would always jump at the opportunity.

"It's because you're not _Kakashi-kun,_ nii-san," Souta drawled, ignoring how his sister's cheeks reddened.

Bankotsu raised a brow and nodded slowly. He turned his head to face his younger sister, his eyes half-amused to see her fiddling with her food, her face scrunched up in an adorable little blush. "Ah…I see…" Apparently, his 10-year-old baby sister had a crush on his 16-year-old jounin friend…that was just a little too disconcerting for Bankotsu's older brother mentality to grasp.

"Anyways, since_ nobody _invited me to train with them," Kagome declared, shooting one last glare at her younger brother, "I'm going to go and see Itachi." Without another word, she grabbed her bag that was slung around her chair and bounded out of the room, slamming the door behind her.

Bankotsu turned to his younger brother. "Itachi?"

Souta shrugged, placing another rice ball in his mouth. "Uchiha Itachi. That's who she's been seeing in the hospital."

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Kagome shifted her bag more securely around her back as she walked down the halls of Konohagakure Hospital.

_"I told you, I'm not lost!"_

Kagome peered down a hallway to see a medic-nin crouching in front of a young boy. The little boy, who looked even younger than Souta had his hands crossed; a familiar scowl securely spread on his face.

"Now look. I can't have children just wandering the hospital by themselves. I'm going to have to take you to the center where your parents can find you."

"But I know where my parents are!"

Kagome had a feeling that she knew who this little kid was visiting and to spare the medic-nin from any more aggravation, she flounced over to the pair. The little boy stared at her in silence as she sauntered over to him and placed an arm around his shoulders. Kagome resisted the urge to grin when she got a closer look at him. The small kid had dark hair and even darker gray eyes. His brows were furrowed, enhancing his expression of aggravation; his dark bangs were hanging over his face but she could see his dark orbs staring curiously at her. He had a startling resemblance to a broody Uchiha that she happened to know.

"Ah there you are. I was looking all over for you," she exclaimed. He just raised his head and continued to peer at her in silence for several long moments.

"Do you know this child, Kagome?" the medic-nin asked.

"Yup, you can leave him to me," Kagome nodded.

She waved a little too enthusiastically as the medic-nin rose to her feet and left, leaving the two children in the hallway. It was times like these where Kagome was grateful that her mother insisted that she visit the hospital; she had been there with her mother there so many times that the other medic-nins eventually remembered her face.

"You're related to Itachi Uchiha, aren't you kid?" she smiled crookedly at him.

"I'm Sasuke Uchiha. Itachi is my nii-san," Sasuke exclaimed, his chest puffing out in pride. "Do you know him? Who are you? And why are you walking here too? Are you a medic-nin? You look too young to be a medic-nin-"

_He is just too cute_, Kagome thought as Sasuke continued to ramble on. He looked up at her inquisitively, his gray eyes shining with childlike innocence. "I'm Kagome Higurashi and I was actually going to visit your brother just now. But what exactly are you doing in the 4th floor Sasuke? Itachi is in the fifth floor."

He leant back, his expression changing into an abashed smile. "I was going to buy a drink but the vending machine in the fifth floor didn't have what I wanted so I went here…"

"Aw, okie dokie. Well, let's go and see your nii-san." She was almost surprised when Sasuke tugged on her hand as he walked besides her.

"Did you know Itachi graduated when he was seven? You know he just became a chuunin last year? He's only 11."

Kagome nodded, amused at how Sasuke was so proud of his big brother. "He's quite the shinobi."

Sasuke nodded emphatically, practically bouncing as he strolled alongside his new friend, his hand still securely in hers. "He is. He is. My nii-san is the best shinobi ever!"

It took only a few minutes for the pair to walk up the one flight of stairs to reach the fifth floor. Kagome was amazed at just how different Sasuke was from Itachi. Itachi was more withdrawn but Sasuke was cute and bubbly and quite the little talking machine, especially when it came to his brother.

Kagome patiently led the seven-year-old to Itachi's room. "Hey, Itachi. Your little bro- oh…I wasn't aware you had guests," she finished awkwardly. She fidgeted nervously when she was the center of three pairs of dark eyes looking squarely at her.

"Nii-san!"

"Sasuke," Itachi leaned forwards on the bed, smiling when Sasuke ran past Kagome and jumped up enthusiastically on his bed. "Where have you been?"

"I was trying to find some soda but I got lost and this medic-nin found me and I didn't want to go with her but then Kagome-chan found me and she's actually really nice and she told me that she was going to go see you so I went with her and now here I am," the younger Uchiha took a deep breath, shooting a lop-sided grin at Itachi.

"Ah…it seems I owe Higurashi-san a thanks," Itachi turned towards her, cocking his brow.

"Eh…you're welcome…I guess? But he looked like he had everything in control. He was quite assertive" she grinned at Sasuke.

"Of course. He is an Uchiha after all," Itachi responded, no trace of pride or arrogance; it was said as a simple statement.

"Who's your friend Itachi?" his mother asked. Her oldest son wasn't the most social child so it surprised Mikoto that to see this little blue-eyed girl walking so casually into his room.

Kagome flushed, oddly uncomfortable under the weight of the stares of the four Uchihas, particularly with the interested glance of his mother.

She resisted the urge to roll her eyes when she noticed the edges of Itachi's lips twitch a little. _Jerk…_

"These are my parents, Higurashi-san," said Itachi, sounding more than a little amused at her obvious discomfort. "Father, Mother, this is Higurashi Kagome. She's the daughter of Higurashi Kaya."

"Hn."

"So you're mother is the one responsible for helping my Itachi, Kagome-chan?" asked Mikoto, a pleasant smile on her face.

Kagome nodded, unable to help but respond in kind to her smile.

"Then you can tell her that Itachi no longer needs to waste any more time here in the hospital. He has taken far too much time from his missions."

Her eyes drifted over to Itachi's father, Fugaku Uchiha; the patriarch of the Uchiha clan and leader of the Konoha Military Police Force. All in all, he was a man who wielded a lot of power within the boundary of his own clan and based on what she had heard from her father and brother, a man who had significant influence in the way Konoha was run.

He was…quite intimidating to the young Kagome. He had an imposing presence as he towered over Kagome's tiny form.

His eyes were the same dark orbs as his sons; but where Sasuke's was warm and inviting, and Itachi's calm and unruffled, his were cold and calculating.

"Umm…I'm sorry Uchiha-san," she quickly stuttered out, her gaze darting to the floor. "But um…I mean-"

"Higurashi-san just wants to make sure that I'm completely healed Father," answered Itachi, drawing his father's attention to him.

A slight tension developed, felt by all those in the room, excluding Sasuke, who looked content just leaning against his older brother. Kagome shifted nervously as she watched the silent exchange between father and son. She felt a twinge of respect for Itachi who refused to look away from his father, the picture of calmness only broken by the slight stiffening of his form.

"So how long are you going to be here nii-san?" asked Sasuke, his childish voice breaking the awkward silence.

"Yes, Itachi…just how long are you going to be here?" Fugaku echoed coldly.

Itachi returned his father's gaze for a few more moments but eventually looked away. He sighed. "I suppose I can leave today."

"But-" Her mother insisted that Itachi stay another day, just so that they could make sure he was okay. She opened her mouth to interrupt but was quickly silenced by Itachi's stare. It clearly said to mind her own business.

"Very well. I expect to see you at the compounds this evening. Come Sasuke," he made a move to walk away, sparing but one last glance at his son.

Mikoto strode over to Itachi's bed. She gently kissed his forehead before taking Sasuke in her hands. "I'll make your favorite dinner, Itachi," she said, gently, her eyes slightly apologetic.

"Aww, but mom, I want to stay here with nii-san," pleaded Sasuke, pouting as he tried to get away from his mother's grasp.

Itachi chuckled, touching his hair with clear affection. "Go with mother Sasuke. I'll see you tonight."

"You promise?"

Itachi leaned forward, poking Sasuke's forehead. "I promise."

"Ah, Kagome-chan. You're more than welcome to have dinner with us tonight to celebrate Itachi's hospital release."

"Eh…thank you Uchiha-san…but I have a…uh…training to do…" she ended lamely. That was one dinner she would be _more_ than willing to pass. _Talk about awkward._

"Oh okay. Well maybe next time then."

"Bye Kagome-chan. Bye nii-san!" Sasuke cried out as her mother started walking towards the door.

"See you kid," she said.

Kagome peered at Itachi as he waved back, a genuinely soft smile on his face as he watched his mother's and brother's fading backs. When the door closed, he turned his gaze back to the ten-year-old, a bit disconcerted at the growing grin on her face.

"…What?"

"Nothing. Nothing," she continued to grin, clasping her hand together at her back.

"Why do I doubt that?" he responded mildly. He looked at her with a dead-panned expression.

"Really, it's nothing. I was just thinking that despite all that top-notch brooding and sulking that you do – _oh so well_ -," her grin grew wider when Itachi rolled his eyes, "you're actually a real softie when it comes to your little brother."

He scoffed. "_Softie_…?" he repeated, the word etched with distaste. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Heh. It's nothing to be embarrassed about Itachi. It's kinda cute."

"_Cute_?" he echoed slowly; he was seriously considering why he even continued with this inane conversation…or why he was even bothering to humor the smirking girl in front of him. "Perhaps you are the one that needs to be hospitalized Kagome, not I." He shook his head when she responded _quite maturely_ by sticking her tongue out at him.

Kagome chuckled but it soon died off when she realized that this would probably be one of the last times that she'll be able to joke around with him. He was a chuunin and he'll probably be leaving the village frequently because of the missions. She had never talked to him prior to him being placed in the hospital and it was only by _pure chance_ that it was _her_ mother that was treating him…He was the type of person that probably faced a lot of responsibilities and she doubted that his father would allow him to _waste_ his time hanging out with her.

"What's wrong?" Itachi interrupted her somewhat depressing thoughts, giving her a pointed look. "You look troubled."

Kagome shook her head, lips pursed. "It's nothing…"

"_Kagome."_

"Tsk…I was just thinking that this was nice…I mean, you're kind of nice to talk to," she grinned weakly, "when you actually do talk. You're a good listener if not anything else."

Itachi lifted an elegant dark brow, slight confusion in his orbs. "…Thank you?"

"Haha. Sorry for being weird right now. It's just that…well, I was thinking that I'm actually going to miss talking to your broody self."

Itachi narrowed his eyes. Kagome was visibly upset. She was biting her bottom lip and her fingers were twitching, constantly toying with the hem of her shirt. _Why did it seem like she was saying good-bye? _"Are you planning on moving to another village anytime soon?"

"Of course not," she muttered reproachfully. "But after you get released, it's not like I'm actually going to get the chance to talk to you again everyday…"

Itachi was silent as he observed her figure. Yes, she was quite the…outspoken person and she, in his own opinion, took a little_ too_ much enjoyment in _joking_ around with him. But, he could admit to himself that she was amusing and he actually looked forward to her visits. Aside from the other Uchihas, he didn't bother to associate with other children his age but he found that it wasn't difficult to converse with her; after all, despite her still being a genin, she was just as smart as he was and she wasn't irritated when he didn't feel the need to talk.

She was his _friend._

It occurred to him that the idea of returning to a non-existent relationship with her…displeased him. _A lot._

Kagome looked up when Itachi mumbled something unintelligible. "Excuse me?"

"You still want to be in ANBU right?"

"Yep…"

"Well...on the days where I'm not doing any missions and you're not doing any missions, we can train together," he broke off, looking awkward when Kagome looked at him in disbelief. "N-not that we have to. I was just...putting it out there."

"And you're okay with that?" she asked. "Look Itachi, I'm good with stuff like memorization of jutsus and techniques but…I'm not exactly…ahem…a genius in the more physical stuff…I'm kind of still learning…"

"I can help you with that if you want," Itachi answered easily, brushing aside her concern.

Kagome narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "Really?"

Itachi's eye twitched slightly at just how surprised she sounded. "Yes. I can help you improve your shuriken technique and Taijutsu…Why do you assume I have a problem with that?"

"No offense Itachi, but you don't exactly look like a patient teach-"

"If you don't want to do it, you-"

Kagome shook her head furiously. "No, no, no. Nevermind. I'll train with you!" She slumped down on the chair next to his bed and gave him a blinding smile. "So when do you want to meet?"

He shrugged. "I'm probably going to go on a mission right after I get released and I'm not sure when that will be finished. I'll find you when I get back and we can go to the training grounds afterwards."

Kagome briefly wrapped her arms around his body; she let him go after only a few seconds, ignoring how his body stiffened immediately. She was a very affectionate person. Now that Itachi was her friend, he would have to get used to her hugging attacks. She chuckled as she picked up the journal that he was reading and flipped through the pages, realizing that she had already read this one.

"Okay, it's a date," she sang out. She laughed when he coughed, his eyes going wide with surprise.

"_It's not a date_. It's a training exercise!"

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**NEXT CHAPTER:**

In which Kagome meets Itachi's best friend, Shisui Uchiha and she realizes that not all Uchihas are broody and quiet…apparently some of them can be loud…really, really, _really _loud.

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**AUTHOR'S NOTE: IMPORTANT REQUEST! PLEASE READ!**

Hey again! I just want to thank all of you guys for the reviews and alerts and favorites. You guys are awesome!

So, basically, I've written down some scenes already that happen in this story but most of them are when Kagome and Itachi are already older and one or two of them are a little…steamy *coughcough*…so I'm probably going to have to bump up the rating to M..._eventually_. (But not anything too explicit because I don't want to get banned here, jk, jk, jk…but no seriously…-_-)

Also, I was planning on incorporating some of the events from the anime/manga into the story but again, that only takes place when they're a bit older…Now, I can always fast forward but I kind of want to focus a little bit more on their childhood (maybe 2-3 more chapters) before skipping to their older teenage years to try to build up their friendship and feelings first…

**So…I'm asking a favor for the readers to review and give me some ideas on what kind of shenanigans you want to see mini-Itachi and mini-Kagome (and later mini-Shisui) get into and I'll try to incorporate some of those into the 2 or 3 more chapters while they are still 10 and 11 (and maybe I'll turn into a bonus chapter later on).**

And like last chapter, if you review, I'll give you a preview until I post the third chapter. Toodles!

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**Updated: 06/26/2012**

You guys are awesome and after reading some of your reviews, in particular those who addressed the issues of Itachi's eye color, I decided to do some web surfing and you guys are right! It was my bad. So for now, I'll change Itachi's eye color from "dark blue" to "onyx" and based on narutohq . com, Sasuke's eyes are actually dark gray. Ha...sorry for the mistake guys! By the way, I love your suggestions and some of them are definitely going to be used for upcoming chapters.


	3. Enter Shunsin no Shisui

**LITTLE WHITE LIES**

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**3  
****Enter Shunsin no Shisui**

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White clouds slowly drifted across the blue sky, the heat of the sun practically scorching as it mercilessly beat down upon a group of four; they were walking grudgingly towards the walls of Konoha.

"Well done on the task today," the oldest and tallest of the four said calmly. His forehead protector, emblazoned with the leaf of Konohagakure glinted under the sunlight as his amber orbs took in the look of overwhelming tiredness on the faces of the younger teens. While his own uniform was as clean and spotless as ever, the same couldn't be said of the state of clothing of his students. The jounin gracefully brushed his silver hair aside as he strode in front of them, his hands casually resting on the hilt of his sword.

Kagome huffed, wiping a sweaty strand of hair from her face, which much to her chagrin, was still stained with dirt. "Ne, Sesshoumaru-sensei, we would have finished it faster if only _somebody_," she emphasized shooting a dirty glare at a scowling silver-haired teen, "did what they were supposed to."

"Oi, shut up Kagome! At least I wasn't resting every hour or so whining about how _it's so hot_ and _how it's so gross to be sweaty_," he said, his voice high-pitched as he tried to mimic his younger team-mate.

"Shut up Inuyasha!" Kagome demanded challengingly, her blue eyes flaring. She had to crane her head up slightly as she faced the taller teen but she refused to back down. She knew she was right though. They were only supposed to help this old lady build a couple of fences around her farm._ A couple of fences!_ What was supposed to take only a few hours at the most ended up costing them the whole day because Inuyasha kept on arguing about where they should have put the fences, how they should put the fences, in what formation they should put the fences…And she was _not_ whining. Okay, so she might have made it clear that she was not feeling the temperature…it was a little hotter than what she was used to…and yeah, so she complained a little about how much they were all sweating. So what? What kind of normal person liked to sweat in what felt like 100 degree weather?

"Calm down Kagome."

Kagome turned her head, her eyes softening as it landed on her best friend and the other female on her team, 12-year-old Sango. "But it was_ his_ fault!" she asserted, frowning.

Sango shrugged, her lips tilting in an amused smile as she saw Inuyasha's hand twitching to his kunais. "Ah, who cares whose fault it was. At least it's done and over with."

"Hmph." Kagome huffed, slightly annoyed that Sango wasn't taking her side and that she had a point. "But you agree with me, don't you Kirara?" she turned her eyes to the small feline that was nestling around Sango's shoulder. It blinked slowly and purred, its mouth opening as it yawned. Kagome grinned, patting the small cat's head. "See, even Kirara agrees with me that Inuyasha was dead weight in this mission."

"Feh, if _anybody_ was dead weight, it would be _you_ Kagome," the red-clothed teenager groused, his amber eyes flashing in contempt. He smirked when Kagome turned slowly towards him, an irritated frown plastered on her face.

Sango sighed, taking the feline in her hand and petting it as her teammates got into another fight…_yet again_. They had been made into a team since last year, soon after graduating the Academy. At first it was a little strange that though both her and Inuyasha were both 11 at the time, Kagome was only 9. While Kagome was definitely a little prodigy when it came to jutsus and healing, she wasn't that much of a genius in actual physical combat; regardless, Sango had quickly befriended the very affectionate and friendly person that was Kagome. But for some reason, the blue-eyed teen and Inuyasha had clashed since day one. Ever since the first mission, they never failed to find _something_ – it never mattered how minute the matter was – and fight about it. Again. And again. And again_. And then even some more._

Sango made a move to stand beside Sesshoumaru as they both watched the scene unravel. "Ne, Sesshoumaru-sensei, it's almost as if they _like _to argue with each other."

Sesshoumaru grunted in agreement, watching in silence as his brother and Kagome faced each other. Their fists were clenched as sparks started flying between them. It was times like these where he seriously wondered why he even bothered to agree to teach genins. This would be a good opportunity to pass down knowledge and polish young talent, his father had said. And it would be a good way to bond with your younger brother – _half-brother_ – the Taishou leader insisted. Sesshoumaru sighed. He needed to stop listening to his father, especially when he had that _damned _smirk on his face. _He knew this was going to happen,_ he thought bitterly.

"Why don't you say that to my _face_?" the young Higurashi growled out.

Inuyasha smirked and bent his head down so that they were directly staring at each other. "_You are a dead weight_."

Kagome pushed him back, her irritation only growing when Inuyasha started laughing. "Oh yeah?"

"Yeah!"

"Well, at least I'm not…not a…eh, a…a _jerk-head!"_ she finished, internally wincing at how bad that insult was.

Inuyasha smirk grew wider. He placed his hands on his hips, his smile taunting. "A jerk head? Really? _Really?_ Well, at least I'm not a shortcake."

"…A _shortcake_?"

Sango shook her head as Inuyasha called out Kagome about her height…This was _not_ going to end well.

"Yeah, a shortcake. I mean, you're so short that when they were supposed to take your headshot for the Academy, they could see your feet," he bellowed out.

Sesshoumaru pinched the tip of his nose as his brother's immature laugh echoed in the forest. _This was getting ridiculous_. His eyes opened and he watched warily as Kagome's face turned into an unpleasant shade of red, the muscle in her jaw twitching furiously. His brother was crouched over, laughing so hard at his own banal joke that tears were literally coming out his eyes. He didn't see that Kagome's hands were inching towards her pouch. Even though Kagome was physically weak, she had a hell of an aim. _Perhaps I should intervene._ The thought passed through the older Taishou's head though he didn't make a move to stand between the two teens.

Kagome twitched as her navy eyes glared at Inuyasha, who was still laughing. _Seriously, that stupid joke wasn't even funny!_ Unable to stand it anymore, she flipped her pouch open and fingered one of the kunais.

Inuyasha froze when he felt a sudden gust of cold air whiz across his face. He sharply turned around to see a kunai imbedded into the trunk of a tree, trapping a few strands of silver hair. It managed to draw a thin line of blood, having grazed his face by mere inches. He growled, turning back to the small kunoichi. "Why you little-"

"Bring it on, _Inu-chan_," she sang out, butchering his name intentionally.

Inuyasha took a fighting stance. He unsheathed his tetsusaiga, the blade shimmering ominously in the sunlight.

Sesshoumaru exhaled tiredly, quickly stepping in front of the two children. It was obscenely hot today and feeling a lone stray of sweat drip cascade slowly down the side of his face was not helping to lighten his mood. All he wanted to do was to reach Konoha and having Kagome and Inuyasha fight each other was just a trouble that he didn't even want to deal with.

"Enough Inuyasha," Sesshoumaru commanded, his amber eyes sharp against his brother's.

Inuyasha whined, stomping his feet in frustration. "But she started it!"

Kagome tilted her head to see past Sesshoumaru's form to glare at him hotly. "I did not."

"Did too!"

"Did not!"

"_Did too!"_

"_Did not!"_

Sesshoumaru's eye began to twitch as they started to scream; each one getting louder in order to outdo the other.

"You did too start it!" Inuyasha bellowed angrily, refusing to sheath back tetsusaiga.

"Well, I'm finishing it," interrupted Sesshoumaru, already well past his patience level. "End of conversation."

"But-"

"Sesshoumaru-sensei-"

"I mean it," he said, the edge of his voice indicating that he was deathly serious. "Now if you two cannot talk, _at a normal volume_, then I suggest you two remain silent." _Or else. _Without another word, he stalked forward.

Sango hesitated a moment, glancing at the two, making sure that they weren't going to resume fighting. Kagome was frowning and Inuyasha's form was slumped, clearly unhappy. She shrugged and putting Kirara back around her shoulder again, followed the irritated jounin.

"He's such a jerk sometimes," Inuyasha muttered, his amber eyes glaring at the retreating back of his older brother – _half_-brother. Kagome smirked as Inuyasha let out a stream of curses. For a 12-year-old, it was kind of impressive how he already managed to amass such a…colorful vocabulary.

"Eh, it's too hot to be fighting anyways…" Kagome tilted her head, her lips pursed in thought. "…Why were we fighting again?"

"Beats me," answered Inuyasha. He rubbed his temple with his fingers.

Kagome skipped over to the sulking teen and poked him in the forehead. She sniggered when he snorted and swatted her hand away. "Stop frowning Inuyasha. You're going to end up getting wrinkles." She laughed and looped her arm around his own.

"Feh!" He scoffed but didn't bother to step away, letting the 10-year-old lead him back to Konoha.

Sango turned back, her brows raised when she heard laughter coming from the two genins. This scene should be odd, considering that it was only a few moments ago that the two genins were virtually at each other's throats. But Sango had seen this happen on more than one occasion. As easily as Inuyasha and Kagome got into these ridiculous fights, it was also eerily easy how they made up. _They just made a very strange pair…_

"I'm guessing you guys are done fighting?"

"Yup, we forgot why we were fighting anyways."

"You…_forgot_?" she asked, almost disbelievingly.

"Tsk. It was probably stupid anyways," Inuyasha added.

Sango just shook her head, wondering what went through their minds sometimes…

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_"Yes, we're back_!" Kagome exclaimed, seeing the wide and colossal mahogany entrance to their village. She wasn't the only one excited as Kirara jumped off Sango and ran to the entrance, mewing happily, its two tails wriggling.

"Finally." Sesshoumaru sighed. "I'll say good-bye here. I will see you guys tomorrow bright and early."

"Bye Sesshoumaru-sensei," Kagome and Sango called out as the jounin disappeared in a flash of smoke.

"Good riddance." Kagome rolled her eyes when she heard Inuyasha mutter.

"Oh Konoha, how I missed you so!" she shouted out, earning a few looks from passing civilians.

"Sheesh, Kagome. We've only been gone for a day. Stop being so dramatic," Inuyasha commented as they walked past the gate.

Kagome stuck her tongue out, but she was happily scanning the familiar shops and markets. "Stop being such a party pooper,_ Inu-chan_." She sniggered as Inuyasha stalked towards her, an amused shine to his yellow eyes.

"What did I say about calling me that?"

"_Inu-chan_. Haha- ow, what are you doing?" Kagome chuckled, coughing when Inuyasha wrapped her in a headlock. He messed up her hair, earning an outraged cry from the kunoichi.

"Don't touch-"

"Higurashi-san?"

Itachi was standing a few feet away, his hands stuck firmly in his pockets. He was in his usual dark slacks with his black – _did he ever wear something that wasn't so dark_ - high-colored shirt, the Uchiha fan branded proudly on his chest. He had a peculiar expression on his face as Kagome stuttered out a greeting, trying to get out of Inuyasha's hold.

"Hi Itachi," she said again, smoothing her hair out. "What are you doing here?"

He glanced at the other two teens, assuming that they were the other two-thirds of her team. "I finished my mission today and I was wondering if you wanted to go the training grounds."

Inuyasha shot a questioning look at Sango, who shrugged, looking at the other teen curiously.

"Oi, Kagome, who's this kid?"

"Oh right, sorry. Inuyasha, Sango, this is Uchiha Itachi. Itachi this is Taishou Inuyasha and Tsuyosa Sango, from my genin team."

"Nice to meet you," Itachi politely added, nodding slightly.

"Nice to meet you as well, Uchiha-san," Sango replied. So this was Uchiha Itachi. She was wondering who the other kid that Kagome had been spending so much time with lately.

Itachi blinked, bemused when the silver-haired genin just stared at him, his brows furrowed.

"Nice to meet you as well, Taishou-san," he finally said after a few moments of uncomfortable silence. He raised a brow when Inuyasha's amber eyes narrowed.

"Feh, whatever," he muttered turning around.

Kagome shook her head at Inuyasha's brusqueness. "Wow, Inuyasha. Your politeness is killing us," she said blandly. "Really, where _did_ you learn your manners?"

"Well, if my politeness is _killing _you," the silver-haired genin gritted his teeth, "why don't you just go and run off with Uchiha to the training grounds then?"

"Maybe I will!"

"Good!" he huffed and stalked away, his spine stiff and rigid. He disappeared into the crowd, not even bothering to say good-bye.

"..."

"..."

Sango glanced between the two, growing amused at Itachi's bemused expression and Kagome's frustrated frown. "…So I'm going to go now. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Oh, okay. Bye Sango. Bye Kirara," she smiled when the little cat purred in response.

Itachi waited until her friend vanished into the crowd before turning to the kunoichi. "Did I do something to annoy Taishou-san?" He wasn't used to people, especially those he didn't even know, rebuffing him so blatantly. It was actually a bit rude.

Kagome smiled sheepishly, rubbing the back of her neck. "No. It wasn't you. It's just Inuyasha has a hard time…_playing_ with other kids." She shook her head, still annoyed at how impolite he was towards Itachi. "Anyways, never mind him," she sighed, wiping the sweat on her face. _It was just so hot._ She glanced up and Itachi was already moving towards the training grounds.

She paled a little at the thought of not only remaining outside for a longer extended of time…but at the thought of actually having to_ train _with Itachi in this weather. Kami, when Itachi said he was going to help train with her skills, he was not kidding. She was expecting to be able to lounge around but he had none of it. They trained and they trained_ hard_. He was a strict teacher and his standards were far above even Sesshoumaru's and that was saying something. They had been doing this for a couple of weeks, the last session only two days ago and her muscles were still aching at the running exercises he made her do…

"What is it?" he stopped when Kagome ran up to him and tugged on his sleeve, a hesitant smile on her face.

She looked up at him warily. "Actually, Itachi…do you mind if we not practice today? It's insanely hot and we're," she paused when Itachi cocked a brow, the look on his face saying that he knew exactly what she was doing, "okay, _I'm_ really tired right now."

"So what do you propose we do?"

"…Hmm, do you like rice balls?"

Itachi blinked. Actually, he had a certain love for the food. "I don't _dislike_ it." He frowned when Kagome yelled happily and dragged him off.

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Itachi tapped his foot impatiently on the ground as he sat back on the bench. He was waiting for Kagome outside of the shop; for some reason, she had demanded that he stay outside while she go in and buy them. He blew out an irked breath as yet another girl tried to flirt with him. He was only _eleven_…_what was wrong with these girls? _

He let his head flop back against the bench after politely declining_ yet_ _again_ an offer to go to the movies. He was relieved that Kagome didn't act like these girls. If one day when they grew up and Kagome warped into a shrieky, clingy fangirl, he would have to _seriously_ take a closer look at their friendship.

He closed his eyes, feeling comforted by the warmth of the sun caressing his face. It wasn't everyday that he was able to relax so casually like this and he learned to treasure these moments as they came. And he found that the longer and longer he associated with Kagome, the more and more of these moments he was able to have. It was selfish of him but he knew that this was part of the reason why he allowed himself to care for her. _She made him feel like a kid that he was and not the genius shinobi that his father was training him to be. _

"Itachi! Yo Itachi!"

Itachi's eyes snapped open as a loud rambunctious voice practically screamed out his name. That could only be one person…

His gaze flicked over, half-amused, half-exasperated to the figure that plopped down on the bench in front of him.

"What are you doing here Shisui?"

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A few minutes later, Kagome skipped happily from the shop, two rice balls in her hand. She was about to call out his name but hesitated when she saw an unfamiliar figure lounging in front of Itachi, chattering away with the Uchiha.

"Are you just going to stand there all day?"

Kagome smiled sheepishly as Itachi rotated his head slightly to face her; the other teen turned silent, his own dark eyes observing her silently. "Alright, alright. I'm coming."

She raised a brow in surprise as she got a closer look at the other teenager that was sitting there. It had to be an Uchiha, she immediately assumed. He had the traditional pale complexion and the same dark eyes as Itachi. The only difference between him and the younger Uchiha was that while Itachi had shoulder-length hair, the other Uchiha had much shorter hair, his bangs overflowing unto his forehead protector. He was leaning forward, his head comfortably settled on his bent hand that was raised on the table. She didn't know whether she should be weirded out by the smile on his face.

"Um…hi?" she greeted awkwardly, handing one of the rice balls to Itachi.

The other Uchiha leapt off the bench and walked around the table to face her, a bright smile still fixed on his face. "Hey! I'm Uchiha Shisui, Itachi's older but _definitely_ more handsome cousin. You agree right?"

"Tsk," Itachi shook his head at his cousin's introduction, taking a bite of the rice ball.

Kagome looked between them, half-amused, half-confused. "Agree with what?"

"That_ I'm_ more handsome than _Itachi_."

"Uh…well both of you are handsome…I guess?"

"So you're calling me handsome?" Shisui teased the younger girl.

"…Yes?" _Where was this even going?_

She grimaced a bit when Shisui laughed good-naturedly. Kagome stiffened in surprise when he hugged – _his movements were so quick even she couldn't catch it_ – her, holding her so tightly that her feet dangled off the ground. She relaxed a few moments later, patting his back awkwardly. She turned her head to stare at Itachi. She mouthed, _What am I supposed to do here? _She shook her head when the other Uchiha just shrugged, a smirk on his face.

She sighed when he let her down. "So what's yo' name?"

The kunoichi on the other hand was getting more and more amused. "Shisui-san, I'm- " She broke off when Shisui shook his head, waving his hand furiously.

"No, don't tell me!"

_So then why did you ask,_ she questioned, starting to wonder if the Uchiha in front of her was playing with a full deck of cards…

"Ha, I know who you are. Itachi's told me so much about you-"

Her blue eyes peered curiously at Itachi. He had stopped eating and glared heatedly at his cousin. She didn't know if it was caused by the situation or by the heat of the sun, but she thought that she had seen Itachi blushing…_Interesting…Very interesting._

"Long black hair, blue eyes, cute face…You have to be Higurashi Kagome!"

She cocked a brow, the edges of her lips tilting up. "…_Cute face_?" Never mind, she was wrong. The Uchiha in front of her was _obviously_ someone who knew what he was talking about.

"Okay, Shisui-" Itachi interrupted sharply, his food all but forgotten as his cousin started to suffer from verbal diarrhea. He was sitting upright now, his face definitely a shade pinker than normal. His cousin waved off Itachi's comments, his eyes still focused on the small girl in front of him. He bent down and placed his face just inches from her own.

Kagome began to fidget nervously as he just stared. And stared. _And stared._ He wasn't even saying anything. He was just staring…_What a weirdo_. She twitched when he placed a hand on the top of her head. "Um…what do you think you're-"

Shisui stood up to his full height again, not bothering to remove his hand from her head. He tilted his head as he placed his other hand on the top of his own head. His lips pursed as if in thought, clearly ignoring Itachi's demands to step away from Kagome.

"You know, when Itachi told me that you were kind of short," he started, a teasing tone to his voice. Itachi wisely averted his eyes as Kagome slowly turned her head to glare at him. "I didn't think that you were going to be _this_ short."

Kagome frowned turning back to face him. She couldn't help but feel a little insulted. "I am not that short," she sniffed, swatting his hand from her head. She took a step back and crossed her arms indignantly over her chest. "_Besides_, I'm still growing."

"Ha. You're a genin right?" Kagome paused, blinking at the sudden turn of conversation.

"Yeah, I just graduated last year."

"How old are you exactly? You eleven like Itachi?"

"I'm ten…" she trailed off when Shisui face palmed, sighing very dramatically, his eyes glimmering with amusement. "…I don't get it. What's so funny?"

"So you graduated at nine and Itachi here graduated at seven…it figures," he just shook his head, turning his head to face his cousin. "The first kid I see you hanging out with_ willingly_ just happens to be another little genius like you…sheesh." He leaned his hip against the table and glanced between the two prodigies, a wide smile on his face. "Just what are they feeding you kiddies these days?"

"Kagome here wants to be in ANBU as well," Itachi commented casually.

"Really? You want to be in ANBU too?" Shisui exclaimed.

"Yes, Itachi is actually helping me train," answered Kagome, still a little miffed about Itachi's supposed comment about her being vertically challenged.

"Say what? So _you're_ the reason why Itachi doesn't spar with me anymore!"

"I'm sorry…?"

"You know what has to happen now right?" Shisui cried out.

"Wha-"

"The three of us can train together!"

"But-"

"And then we can all apply to ANBU together-"

"Shisu-"

"and we can all be the _best of friends_!" He finished, throwing his arms widely.

"Eh-" Kagome frowned as Shisui was practically jumping around as he started talking about what they could all do together when they were all in ANBU.

"Ohh, this is _so_ exciting. I'm going to go home and get my stuff and I'll come back here _right away_!" He sighed dramatically, enveloping the blue-eyed girl in a tight one-armed hug. "Ah, Kagome-chan. I can see it now. This is just the start of a beautiful _beautiful _friendship!"

Kagome was speechless as Shisui pranced away. Itachi was just sitting back, chuckling as Kagome looked utterly lost; his cousin had that effect on people.

"…"

"…"

"..._What just happened_?"

"It seems Shisui has taken a liking to you."

"…"

"..."

"..."

He smiled. "Congratulations," he added mildly, "now he'll never leave you alone as well." He almost laughed when her face paled.

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**NEXT CHAPTER:**

In which Kagome learns that apparently even 11 and 13-year-olds are able to have fangirls...very touchy, very _clingy_ fangirls._ Yeesh._

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**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

Yeah...I don't even know how I started writing Inuyasha/Kagome pseudo fluff...I'm not exactly a Kagome/Inuyasha fan which is why even though there might be_ slight_ flirting between the two of them (definite future tension between Inuyasha and Itachi), this story's main pairing _will_ remain Itachi/Kagome/Kakashi with some other one-sided Kagome/whoever I feel like it.

On another note, thank you guys so so much for taking the time to review! I love your suggestions and I've kept them in mind if or when I decide to write some bonus chapters in the future!

**Oh, by the way, I do try and edit the chapters once in awhile so don't feel weirded out if you decide to read a chapter again and find that there are certain details that have changed. I'm not exactly a grammar genius so I appreciate it when you guys (politely) point out certain grammar/spelling mistakes. ^.^**

**PS:** **For whoever is interested, if you pop in on my profile, I put in a mini timeline to indicate where I am on the chapters of certain stories.**

That's it for now! Thanks for reading and please review. Remember, more reviews = faster updates! (^.^)Y

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**UPDATED: 07/07/2012**

I do appreciate the reviews so anybody that does so will get a nice long preview (since the next chapter probably won't be out for two-three weeks)! This chapter's preview will include a nice Kagome/Bankotsu bonding moment in which the older brother tries to tell his baby sister that no...it is not okay to go around hugging boys. ^.~


	4. Whispers in the Night

**LITTLE WHITE LIES**

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**4  
****Whispers in the Night**

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The moon shone high, casting a blanket of eerie light over the slumbering village. Silence pervaded the Higurashi home; a small house nestled in the middle of towering trees, away from the main streets of Konohagakure. The two younger children were settled comfortably on their beds, sleeping, dreaming the dreams of innocent children. The koi fish swam peacefully in an eternal circle, the small drips of water periodically creating small ripples in the pond.

"We can't do that!" a sharp voice said, breaking the peaceful atmosphere.

"Be quiet Bankotsu," another voice murmured.

Dazed blue eyes fluttered open as the sound of a door clicked close. Kagome yawned and sat up, her legs dangling over the side of the bed. She rubbed her eyes, trying to stifle another yawn. She heard another clatter and jumped off her bed, landing with a slight thump.

She walked towards the door and peered outside. The sprinkle of lanterns hanging from the walls provided a mellow light along the narrow corridor. She knew she had heard _something_ but there was nobody in the hallway. She crinkled her eyes and tried to find out where the soft murmur of voices were coming from.

"But you know-" the voice grumbled. Though it was still faint, Kagome immediately recognized its owner.

"Bankotsu-nii?" she mumbled softly, rubbing the sleepiness away. She strolled towards the room where the voices seemed to be emanating from. She turned the corner and could see the faint silhouettes of his brother and father against the screen door, their figures illuminated by the light in the room. They were standing and Bankotsu was pacing around, his hands moving in agitation. Her father appeared to be leaning against the table, his head facing his son.

"I am perfectly aware that it's dangerous," her father answered.

Kagome halted, trying to mask her chakra. _What was dangerous? Could they be talking about a mission? _The ten-year-old carefully eased herself down, planting herself flush against the wall. She strained her ears to catch the entire conversation.

"I know we're in ANBU but _this_ is ridiculous-" Bankotsu let out a growl and slammed his fists down on the table. "This mission is _ridiculous_!"

"Calm down Bankotsu," their father repeated. His voice was calm but there was a spark of anger underlying it. "We are ANBU. You knew what that entailed when you enlisted."

"But-"

"We do what is commanded of us. Nothing more, nothing less," he murmured, his voice cold.

"But father. This-this_ mission_ – if it can be even called that – is suicide!"

_Suicide? _Kagome's eyes widened in surprise. She inched closer to the door, making sure to make as little noise as possible.

"Enough Bankotsu," her father stepped back from the wall. "It's done. We are given the mission and we are to carry it out."

Kagome furrowed her brows when she heard Bankotsu grumbling. Her father placed a gentle hand on Bankotsu's shoulder.

He sighed. "My son, shinobis have certain responsibilities," his grip tightened as he looked down sympathetically, "and sometimes we _cannot_ say no. It's time you learned this."

Kagome scrambled up when she heard them rustling behind the screen door. She was ready to flee back to her room when she tripped, letting out a tiny shriek. _Please don't let them hear me. Please don't let them hear me. Please don't let them –_

"Kagome? What are you doing up so late?"

Her face slackened to form a sheepish smile as she looked up to her older brother's smiling face. "Heh, hi Bankotsu-niisan." She took his arm and stood up. "Uh, I'm just-uh…going to the bathroom?"

Bankotsu chuckled as she trailed off uncertainly. His little sister was lot of things but a good liar she was not.

Her father treaded out of the room, slowly closing the screen behind him. His eyes lock with Bankotsu's, their eyes passing a message that Kagome couldn't decipher. "Kagome."

The little girl looked up at her father, nervously biting her lips. "Hi father."

Her dad smiled weakly and bent down so they were at face level. He patted her hair with affection. "Time to go back to bed."

Kagome frowned. She just stared at her father, unable to think of anything to say, to ask. She didn't fail to notice that both were still dressed in their black ANBU uniforms. They must have just gotten home.

_It's suicide!_

_Shinobis have certain responsibilities and sometimes we cannot say no. _

_It's time you learned this. _

She glanced up at her brother first, a little irritated by the smile on his face. He was just hissing in anger a few minutes ago and now he was acting as though everything was alright. If he thought that a mission was too dangerous, why would he just agree to do it?

"I don't want you to get hurt father," she said, trying to keep her voice even. "And I don't want nii-san to get hurt either."

Bankotsu and their father shared a glance, a little surprised at the bitterness in her voice. So she had been there. They thought they had sensed a little presence when they first arrived in the room but they just brushed it off since it had disappeared just as quickly. Bankotsu couldn't help but grin, proud that his baby sister was already able to effectively mask her chakra.

"Why do you think we're going to get hurt?" their father asked, pretending to be unaware that there was a strong possibility that Kagome did hear _everything_.

Blue eyes narrowed. If there was anything that Kagome hated, it was when people, including her father, acted like she didn't understand the situation. She was ten, that didn't mean she was stupid. She tilted her head up and looked at him steadily. "I_ heard_ what you said. I know that you're about to do something dangerous." She pursed her lips, looking more like the little girl that she actually was. "I don't like it and I don't want you to do it."

Their father sighed and looked at her thoughtfully. He contemplated her for several long moments. She was quite small, even for her age. Her black hair was long and was bound haphazardly on the top of her head, a few strands landing on top of her blue eyes. The dark hair, he thought fondly, was a trait she inherited from her mother; the eyes on the other hand, were something that she got from him. He ruffled her hair and leaned forward, looking into cobalt blue eyes that were so similar to his own.

"We're going to be fine Kagome," he assured her.

She shuffled on her feet, her eyes narrowed. "I…don't believe you."

"Don't be such a worrywart," Bankotsu interjected, trying to calm her down.

"_You're_ the one who called it a _suicide _mission," said Kagome, her voice accusing.

Bankotsu grinned sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. "Eh, you know me Kags. I tend to exaggerate situations." She didn't look like she was going to drop the subject anytime soon. "Come on Kagome, aren't we the best shinobi ever?"

"…Duh."

"Then you know that father and I will be handle whatever comes our way."

Kagome glanced between the two. "…Okay. You promise you'll be fine though right?"

Her father leaned forward and captured her in a tight embrace. "I _promise_ your nii-san and I will be fine."

She returned the hug, gripping on to her father's neck.

"Come on Kagome, I'll walk with you back to your room," he bent down, his hands outstretched. He laughed lowly when she jumped towards him. "Geez, you're gaining weight," he joked, adjusting her as he held her in his arms, her hands secured around his neck. He sniggered when Kagome punched him.

"When are you leaving nii-san?" she asked again as he was tucking her in bed. She snuggled into the cat plushie that her brother handed over to her.

"Not until the day after I think," he responded. He tapped her nose with his fingertip when her eyes began to cloud in worry again. "Time to sleep Kags."

Kagome sighed and leaned back into the pillows. "Good night nii-san."

Bankotsu paused at the entrance to the doorway, his finger hovering over the light switch. He turned back to his sister, thoughts flickering behind his eyes like shadows, the bags under his eyes evident. "…Good night, Kagome."

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The next morning, Kagome tried to push the events of the night before out of her mind. She had left the house around noon since she had promised to meet Shisui and Itachi for lunch.

_It figures…_

After several weeks of pleading and persuading, Shisui had finally convinced Kagome to join he and Itachi for lunch in the Uchiha compounds. She hadn't forgotten about that little scene with Uchiha Fugaku in the hospital and the way that he glared at her – _he obviously wasn't a children person…or a people person for that matter _– and the idea of having lunch with the intimidating Uchiha patriarch was not pleasant._ Not pleasant at all. _

But somehow, someway, Shisui had discovered her weakness for children. _Itachi probably squealed on me_, she thought bitterly remembering how Itachi had leaned back, that stupid smirk gracing his face as Shisui thrust Sasuke in front of him. There was an evil grin on his face, his eyes glittering with amusement as he nudged Sasuke towards her. The kid didn't even know that he was the pawn to his older brother and cousin's..._manipulations_. But how could she say no when the little Uchiha peered up at her, blinking his huge gray eyes, and asked her in that cute high-pitched voice if she could _pretty please_ have lunch with him? Sasuke had glomped her as Kagome glared fiercely at both Itachi and his cousin for resorting to this low, _low_ trick.

They had agreed to meet up in a shop not far from the compounds since she had told them in no uncertain terms that there would be absolutely _no way_ that she was going to risk going in the compounds by herself and then getting caught by an Uchiha guard and get kicked out…_or worse_.

She was walking towards them and she could see their figures; though since she was shorter, they probably still didn't see her. She craned her head against the people who were walking around and noticed that they weren't alone. Girls her age, girls younger than her, and girls older than her surrounded the two Uchiha males. Shisui was reveling in the attention and she could practically see him preen with all of the compliments she knew he was getting. He was 13 years old and he really liked hanging out with girls and touching them and – she blanched at the idea –_ kissing_ them. A few days ago, she had asked Bankotsu why Shisui was always messing around with them.

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"Bankotsu-niisan," Kagome jumped up to sit on the ledge as her brother trained outside in the pond.

He grunted to show he heard her, not taking his eyes off the targets as he prepared to launch the kunais in his hand.

"Why is Shisui _always_ being so gross with girls? I mean, he's always hugging them which isn't that odd since I like hugging people too but his hugs are weird. I don't know what he's doing but the girls are always turning red after he lets them go!"

Bankotsu released a laugh, his eye still trained on the targets. He released two of the kunais effortlessly as they landed on the center of the targets. "He's just at that age Kagome-chan."

"Eh, what age?"

"Uh," he scratched his head, sparing a glance at his sister warily. "You know, that age when boys uh…are starting to get interested in girls."

"Get interested?"

"It's um…when they start liking them as more than a friend."

Kagome pursed her lips in thought. "Oh…ew."

Bankotsu chuckled when her brows furrowed in disgust. He twisted the kunais around his knuckles preparing to fling it against the remaining targets.

"So that's why he likes to kiss them and stuff?"

"Yep."

Kagome rested her arm on her leg, leaning her head on her palm.

"So am I going to be like that? Am I going to be going around and kissing other boys when I grow up?"

She looked up as she heard the whiz of the kunais and watched in surprise as it landed on everywhere _except_ on the targets. Her brother was staring at her, his mouth gaping open in horror. _"What?"_

"Well…I'm going to be thirteen in three years and then I'm going to be _at that age_," she repeated, echoing his words. "Ew, am I going to want to kiss Itachi? Or Kakashi-kun?" She tilted her head, her eyes glazing over as she started to think about the jounin. She blushed thinking about a couple of days ago when the silver-haired shinobi ate dinner at their house. Before he left, he actually _hugged_ her. "Hmm…maybe that wouldn't be so bad after all."

"No, no, _no_." Bankotsu rasped out. "That would be bad. _That would be really bad_." His face twisted in revulsion at the thought of his baby sister growing up and kissing boys. He didn't care who it was, whether it was Itachi or whether it was Kaka- He broke off his train of thought, shuddering at the idea. He appeared in front of his sister, bending on one knee to stare at her. "It's different for you Kagome-chan."

"What do you mean, niisan?"

He coughed, clearing his throat as his sister looked up at him with innocent eyes. She might be a genius but he knew that there was no way she knew about what happened when teenagers reached puberty and started developing those type of…feelings.

"You're not going to go around and start kissing boys." He paused. "Actually, you should probably stop hugging boys while you're at it."

"But-"

"No buts."

"…So I can't kiss Itachi?"

"No."

"Not even Kakashi-kun?" she asked, her voice dripping with disappointment.

Bankotsu gritted his teeth. "_Especially_ not Kakashi."

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Kagome had asked her brother so she could try to understand the madness that was Uchiha Shisui but all that conversation did was to make her even confused. So basically it was okay for Shisui to go around kissing girls but _she _couldn't. She didn't bother to argue since her niisan looked like he was going to have an aneurysm but something about it smelled a little _fishy _to the young girl.

Kagome sighed, shaking her head. She glanced up and almost choked with laughter as her eyes landed on Itachi. He was more composed out of the two Uchihas…but not by much as his face was set in a very forced polite smile. There were three girls who were trying to fawn over him, standing just a little _too_ close for Kagome's liking. Itachi's face turned a crimson red when one of the bolder girls started running her fingers up and down his bare arms. Unlike Shisui who had worn his usual short-sleeved top, Itachi had worn a dark – _of course, Kami forbid Uchiha Itachi wears any other color but black or dark blue_ – sleeveless shirt, revealing his toned arms. Kagome frowned a bit, her amusement drying up when Itachi's face turned into a deeper red as another girl put on a flirty smile and squeezed his bicep. Kagome rolled her eyes and felt a bit disgusted since the girl looked _quite a bit older_ than them.

"Flirt with boys your own age," the young girl muttered with some bite, increasing her pace.

While Itachi was obviously extremely uncomfortable, Shisui seemed completely oblivious to his cousin's plight. His arms were around two girls, who were laughing hard at something he had said. _It was probably something perverted_, Kagome thought. She had heard, on more than one occasions, Shisui uttering a dirty joke that she had to – literally - force Itachi to explain to her.

"Ooh, Itachi-kun. How much do you work out?" Kagome winced as she heard one of the girls simpering to Itachi.

"Uh-"

"I bet you have really nice abs. Do you mind showing us, _Ita-kun_?"

"I don't-"

Kagome's cobalt eyes flared as she watched the girl who had been gripping Itachi's arm try to tug his shirt up, the look of dismay on Itachi's face increasing as the fangirl continued to try to see his abs.

"Ahem."

She grunted as Shisui finally noticed her and after discarding two unhappy fans, gripped her in a giant hug, pulling her up so her legs dangled off the ground.

"AH, _Kagome-chan_. You're finally here! Itachi and I have been waiting for_ forever_," he whined, letting the poor girl down.

Itachi let out a sigh of absolute relief when he finally caught sight of the dark-haired kunoichi. With a rushed apology to the girls standing next to him, he gently extricated himself from their grasps. He quickly walked over to Kagome, who was pretending to ignore the heated glares that the fangirls were giving her.

"Well, we have to go now ladies," Shisui announced.

"Aww-"

"But why?"

"That's not fair!"

Kagome rolled her eyes as the girls clutched themselves to the older Uchiha, trying to convince him to stay with them.

"Alas, dear ladies. We must go and escort our little _Kag-chan_," Shisui started, winking at Kagome when she gave him a dirty look, "to our home for lunch."

The kunoichi couldn't help but give out a little shudder as the glares that she was receiving seemed to intensify.

"You're taking her back_ home_?"

"Why can't you bring _us_?"

"_That's not fair!_"

The other two teens stood in the sidelines as Shisui patted the girls sympathetically, murmuring about how he knew it wasn't fair and that he promised he was going to take them out in the future.

Itachi turned around to face the smaller teen. "_What took you so long_?" Itachi gritted out as he stood next to her.

Kagome chortled. Apparently someone seemed a little upset. "What's wrong, _Ita-kun_? You looked like you were having the time of your life with those girls," she said, using the same nickname that the fangirl had called him. She giggled when Itachi elbowed her, clearly not amused.

"I see nothing humorous about the situation Kagome."

"I do," Kagome snickered as she clapped him on the shoulder. "Haha, if those girls had their way, you'd be half-naked right now." She grinned when Itachi's already pale face turned even paler.

"Well, this wouldn't have happened if you had come on time," he grumbled, tugging on his shirt self consciously.

"Hey, hey. Don't get mad at me buddy. I'm not the one trying to rip your shirt off," she said indifferently despite the flush on Itachi's cheeks.

After what seemed like hours later, Shisui finally managed to coax the girls to leave them alone.

"We'll see you later Shisui-kun," they echoed out.

"We'll talk again later, Ita-kun," Kagome had to hide her grin with her palm when she felt Itachi let out a small tremble as the overly flirtatious girl winked at him.

She raised a brow when the group seemed to turn their attention on her and saw fit to glare at her, one or two of them even sticking their tongue out. _Well, that's not even a little okay._

"_Buh-bye_," she called out, blowing an overly enthusiastic kiss at the group. She curled her arm around Itachi's and tugged him towards her, snickering when the countenance of the faces of the girls grew even darker.

"Ah girls. Can't live with them, can't live without them," Shisui sang out as the three of them started walking towards the Uchiha compound.

"I can…" Itachi bit out, still a little disturbed at how they were all touching him. The eleven-year-old couldn't help but feel a little violated...

"Pshaw, you're just too young to know just how fun girls can be." He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively, laughing when the two young teens just stared at him blankly, clearly oblivious to what he was saying. "Oh you guys, I can't wait until you guys are older!"

Kagome shared a dry glance with Itachi, who just sighed and massaged the back of his head. Shisui's face had taken on a dreamy look again and she was definitely sure that she didn't want to know what he was thinking.

The three chattered playfully as they walked and Kagome couldn't help but smile warmly about how she had grown surprisingly close to the two Uchihas that were walking by her side. While Itachi was usually more introverted than both she and his cousin, he was the best listener and he actually did have a sense of humor...although it took some prodding before he showed it. On the opposite end of the spectrum, Shisui was a total joker and a complete pervert. He was loud and in your face and blunt and was a it-is-what-it-is type of person but Kagome wouldn't have liked him as much if he acted as anything than what he was.

She glanced sideways briefly to watch as Shisui repeatedly poked Itachi's cheek, intent on eliciting a response from him; she laughed when Itachi responded by pushing Shisui, the force of it causing him to tumble unto the ground.

"Aww, Kagome-chan. Itachi's being mean to me-"

"Stop whining like a little baby Shisui," Itachi said dryly, looking at his cousin with a deadpanned expression.

"A baby? _A baby_?"

"Yes. You might be thirteen years old but you have the mentality of a two-year-old."

Shisui jumped up, jutting a finger at his cousin's face. "Hey! I resent that…I have a mentality of _at least_ a five-year-old."

Kagome face-palmed but her mood soured as soon as the gates of the Uchiha compounds came into view. She took an involuntary step back but was stopped by a hand on his back. She craned her head around to see a smirking Itachi, the light in his eyes showed that he knew what she was thinking. Kagome squirmed but Itachi kept a pressure on her back and walked beside her. He had a feeling that if he or Shisui even turned their backs for a minute, she would have sprinted out of here.

He knew his father was a bit difficult and wasn't that easy to approach but he couldn't help but find it amusing that the usually bubbly kunoichi was terrified of him. "He's not the monster that you think he is Kagome," he whispered in her ear.

"Ngh."

He let out a chuckle as she just let out a sound, halfway between a whimper and a laugh.

The doors slowly opened to reveal Sasuke. He was leaning against the wall, a lollipop dangling from his mouth. His face lit up at the sight of his older brother. Kagome resisted the urge to laugh when Itachi released a wide smile as well. She watched as Sasuke ran up to his brother, Itachi easily lifting his little brother up to place him on his shoulders. _What a softie_, she thought in amusement.

"Welcome home, nii-san!"

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**NEXT TIME: "K-I-S-S-I-N-G"**

In which Kagome is bullied into attending one of the most strained and tense lunches _ever_.

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**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

Seriously, you guys are just so awesome for reviewing and alerting this story! Having you guys respond to my chapters really makes my day and makes me write faster...and I'm glad that most of you like Shisui!

Remember to pop in on my profile in case you're curious about where I am in regards to this story and in my other story "A Shot of Indulgence."

**IMPORTANT NOTE REGARDING CHAPTER 7:**  
**Lazy Reader reviewed and wanted to see a chapter where Kagome's team and Itachi's team did a joint mission but I was thinking of maybe changing that so instead of a mission, they're in a festival instead?**  
**What do you guys think? Please review and tell me which would you rather see? I'm leaning towards one already but it could change depending on the response I receive. **

**A: Joint Mission**  
**B: Festival **

Please review and tell me what you think! I'm always open to suggestions and I always love to hear your thoughts and questions about the story and the characters. I do try and answer whatever questions you pose in your review so please don't hesitate to do so!  
A lot of you reviewed and expressed your interest in a lot of teasing (mostly in the part of Shisui) and dear readers, I can promise a lot of teasing within the next two chapters...maybe some Kagome and Itachi fluff action.

Please and thank you! (^.^) Y


	5. Kissing

**LITTLE WHITE LIES**

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**5  
****K-I-S-S-I-N-G**

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_This._

_ Was._

_ Painfully._

_ Awkward._

The thought passed through repeatedly through Kagome's mind as she numbingly placed the wooden chopsticks in her small porcelain bowl and raised it to her mouth.

Clink.

Clink.

_Clink._

Aside from the slight sound of the chopsticks hitting against the bowls, the table was _quiet_. Kagome looked up, her black bangs falling gracefully into her face as her blue eyes peered around the room. Uchiha-san was sitting by the front of the table, a somber frown etched unto his face. His wife, Mikoto-san was right by him, eating quietly as well. Even Sasuke was eating silently, though he couldn't help but fidget once in awhile. Shisui was sitting next to the seven-year-old, twitching as though it was painful for him to sit in one place for too long. He reached out and stabbed a piece of chicken before plopping it back into his own bowl. Her eyes darted to her right to see Itachi calmly eating, his form taut. His eyes looked up once in awhile but it was slightly dazed, as though he was mentally somewhere else.

She didn't blame him.

The young Higurashi resisted the strong urge to simply slam her bowl down, stand up, and demand to know _why in the name of Kami_ lunch had to be so incredibly _depressing_. It was bad enough that all of the Uchihas' clothing seemed to be limited to black and blue but they were just_ so_ serious. The entire scene briefly reminded Kagome of the lunch that her own family had closely following her grandmother's funeral. _Wow…_

The food was delicious and reminded her of her own mother's cooking but that was where the similarities ended. Her brother and father were gone frequently because of their missions so when they did manage to have dinner together, it was a happy moment in the Higurashi household. But even without Bankotsu and her father, she and Souta were loud enough to compensate for their absence. If they weren't teasing each other, the siblings would gleefully describe how their day went.

One would think that with an exuberant individual like Shisui and the bubbly Sasuke sitting together, there would be some excitement going on. But no…there might be a slight murmur here and there, a passive request asking another to pass a sauce or salt but aside from that, it was dead silent.

She sighed, catching the attention of the Uchiha sitting next to her. His eyes bore into hers and she didn't understand why he seemed amuse. She narrowed her eyes. Damn Itachi. He always found some perverse pleasure whenever she was placed into an uncomfortable situation.

_This is all your fault_, she tried to convey to him.

He shrugged. _Ah, deal with it. _

_Tsk. Fine_, Kagome thought bitterly, _if they didn't talk, she would._

"So uh…," she started, breaking the hush that blanketed over them, "Sasuke, you're seven right?"

Sasuke's eyes darted to his father but when the patriarch didn't respond, he turned back to Kagome, a wide smile on his face. "Yup! I just turned seven a couple of months ago. The birthday was really nice too since mother hired my favorite clown to come to my party," he took a deep breath, earning an amused smile from his mother and brother. The gray-eyed chibi seemed to be relieved that it wasn't quiet any longer. He tapped his lips with a chopstick and continued seamlessly. "But I really _really_ liked my presents. Itachi-nii bought me these really nice shurikens and he promised to teach me how to use them _but_ so far, he hasn't done it," he ended, his lips puckered up in a small pout as he shot a disapproving look at his brother.

Itachi, for his part, just smiled apologetically. "Sorry Sasuke. Maybe later."

"Tsk," Sasuke crossed his alabaster chubby arms over his chest as his pout deepened. "Aww, nii-san. You _always _say that but you _never _do." He huffed and swatted a stray strand of hair.

"Sa-"

"But you do! You always poke me in the forehead – which kind of hurts by the way – and always tell me that you'll teach me _later_."

His dark gray eyes glared slightly at his brother, who looked back with a faint smile on his face. He tried to appear serious but that didn't faze his younger brother.

"Heh," Kagome slightly sniggered, remembering the few times where Sasuke butted in on her training sessions with Itachi and Shisui. Itachi would smile weakly and – always – with a poke on his forehead, tell Sasuke to go back home and that he would play with him later. "Pshh, he's got you down Itachi." She shrugged when Itachi glared at her, his eyes plainly telling her that she wasn't helping.

"Ne, Itachi," Shisui interrupted, "I always wondered why you always do that. Like why do you always poke Sasuke?"

"I don-"

"That's what I want to know too!" Sasuke exclaimed.

Itachi glanced between a smirking Kagome and Shisui, to his baby brother who was still frowning. An exasperated sigh left his lips as he slumped down. _When did this turn to me?_

Kagome watched in evil delight when Itachi tried to calm his brother down. He scratched his head, looking slightly flustered.

"Come on Itachi-niisan. Can we go outside? I want to play _now_." Sasuke bounced up and down, excitement shining from his face.

"Tsk."

Sasuke paused when his father tutted in annoyance.

Fugaku slowly slid his chopsticks down as he stared unpleasantly at the teens. He crossed his arms, an air of acute dissatisfaction.

"Is…there something wrong Father?"

Sasuke's brows were furrowed, his excitement visibly draining away.

"Itachi," he turned to his other son, "don't you think that you have spent enough time away from your training?"

Kagome felt more than saw Itachi stiffen at how his father just blatantly ignored Sasuke. The younger Uchiha looked deflated as he slowly sank back down to his seat.

"Your sensei has told me that you have been spending more and more time from your team." He gave a pithy stare at Kagome, the accusation clear for all involved. Even Sasuke looked noticeably uncomfortable.

_Well, somebody seems a little angry…_Kagome thought placidly.

"He's with me though Fugaku-ojiisan," Shisui addressed the older Uchiha, a slight frown marring his face. He spared a glance at Kagome. He knew exactly what the Uchiha leader was suggesting and he didn't appreciate it.

"No, I don't think so," Fugaku responded easily. "Inabi has informed me that Itachi is the only one that is constantly…disappearing."

The three older teens shared another glance, unable to lie their way out of this situation. It was true that Shisui had recently been joining them in the training grounds but for the most part, it was still between Itachi and Kagome. Shisui still spent a considerable amount of time with the rest of his team.

She had asked Itachi once if he didn't mind spending so much time away from his Chuunin members but he had told her that everything was fine.

Clearly, based on how his father was looking at her like it was her fault, everything was _not_ fine.

"Now why do you suppose that is?"

"Fugaku," Mikoto placed a gentle hand on her husband's shoulder.

"No, I want Itachi to explain to me what could possibly be so important that it takes time away from his training."

"You're wrong," Itachi coolly answered. "I'm still training. I just haven't been training with Inabi-san."

"And _who _have you been training with?"

Kagome instinctively stiffened when his eyes flickered over to her.

Itachi paused and stared directly at his father. He maintained his composure yet nobody missed how his lips were set in a firm line, his eyes narrowing slightly. "I'm training with Higurashi-san…as I'm sure you know."

"Why?"

"…Because I want to," he said bluntly. He could see Shisui slack against the chair, his eyes widened imperceptibly. "And because I feel my time is better spent training with someone who can…challenge me."

Kagome's brows were raised as she turned to face Itachi. She challenged him?

_Ha. Did he just admit that she was as good as him?_

"Inabi-"

"I'm sorry for interrupting you Father, but with all due respect to Inabi-sensei, he is not the one who graduated from the Academy at nine."

Kagome shifted uneasily as she felt the weight of Uchiha Fugaku's stare on her.

"_She_ graduated at _nine_?"

"Yes."

"That's quite an accomplishment," he said slowly, addressing the ten-year-old.

Kagome coughed out an anxious laugh. "Um, thank you…"

Fugaku let out a long breath, his breath hissing out. Graduating at nine was an achievement that even he could not belittle.

"Fine then. Do as you please," he said, beginning to rise.

Sasuke looked around, confusion and worry swirling in his orbs. "So…can we play outside now?"

"If you trained more and played less, perhaps you would be on the way to be like your older brother," Fugaku answered, his voice even colder.

Sasuke looked like he had been punched. "B-but Father-"

"You are already seven. When your_ brother_ was seven, he had already graduated. You are not even _in _the Academy."

He didn't even look in Sasuke's way, Kagome thought angrily; if he did, maybe he could have seen how Sasuke's entire face crumpled in hurt and embarrassment.

"You need to stop acting like a child."

Sasuke's eyes turned away, his ivory skin turning scarlet.

Itachi's fist clenched tightly underneath the table but before he could defend his brother, Kagome had bolted up. Her blue eyes flashed in fury as she slammed her palms down on the table.

"But he_ is _a child! How-_How_ can you say that to Sasuke," she pointed at the bent form of the little boy who was now looking at her in surprise, "how can you say that to your _son_?"

Fugaku just stood there silently, his face set in a disturbingly unperturbed expression.

"_Sit down,_ Kagome," Itachi pleaded, his eyes, which had darkened into an inky black, darting furiously between his father and his best friend. His voice was soft and urgent as he tried to pacify her. He was furious as well, but he knew – _knew_ – that it was foolish to confront his father directly. Nobody – not the other members of the Uchiha family and not even him – ever talked to Uchiha Fugaku like that. His body was rigid, his muscles coiled tightly in nervous anticipation.

"No, Itachi. I'm not going to just sit down! I know he's your father but don't you see how hurt Sasuke is? Doesn't he understand that he should be _grateful_ that he even has a son like Sasuke?"

"_I understand_," he gritted out, his own onyx eyes flaring in response. "But," his grip tightened on her wrist, trying to get her to calm down, "this is_ not_ the time to lose your temper."

Kagome was breathing heavily, her chest rising up and down rapidly. Shisui was rapidly looking between his uncle and his friend, his eyes frantically telling her to please listen to Itachi and please stop antagonizing the Uchiha head.

"Perhaps it would be for the best Itachi," Fugaku started, his voice low but deathly calm, "if you take Shisui and your brother _and_ Higurashi-san _outside_."

Itachi nodded stiffly. "Come Sasuke, Shisui," he stood up and started to walk, refusing to let go of Kagome's wrist. He practically half-dragged the small teen outside.

Sasuke scrambled up and Shisui exhaled sharply before hurrying after his cousin and his little but _hot-tempered_ Kagome-chan. Sasuke wanted to run towards them but Shisui placed a hand on his shoulder, silently telling him that they needed to let the two other teens alone for a few more moments. Pouting, Sasuke nodded and the two trotted behind Itachi and Kagome, just out of earshot.

"Let me go Itachi," Kagome grinded out as he continued to tug her to the Uchiha grounds. An irritated breath left her lips as Itachi continued to ignore her as they stalked away from the main compound.

The number of homes and shops dwindled as the trees and shrubs became more dominant the farther and farther they walked. _Where the heck was he bringing her?_

Itachi halted suddenly, causing her to crash into his back. "Are you going to calm down?"

"Tsk…Yes, now let me go," she demanded, still irritated about how he just manhandled her like that.

A soft sigh escaped from Itachi before he released his hold on her. "You can't blow up again like that Kagome."

"How else am I supposed to react when your father treats my little Sasuke like that? Like he's not good enough for him? It's just so…_annoying_."

Itachi's eyes softened as he looked down at the small kunoichi who was still muttering a few choice words about his father. He tilted his head, remaining quiet, the light reflecting off his eyes, his obsidian orbs glinting. Her brows were furrowed, her lips pinched in slight anger. Her cheeks did not quite yet return from its reddened state from the emotions of the confrontation. It was obvious from her little display just how much Kagome had grown to care for his baby brother; and he couldn't help but feel his respect for the tiny girl rise when she had so recklessly stood up to his father. It would have _terrified_ him to do so. And there she was, someone who had only known Sasuke for a matter of months, defending him like he was her own flesh and blood. That action made her even more endearing to the Uchiha prodigy.

Surprising both himself and her, Itachi enveloped her in a hug. He let out a long breath as he laid his cheek against her head, the scent of jasmine filling his senses, relieving the tension that had been twisting inside him.

Kagome immediately flushed at the sudden contact. "W-what are you d-doing Itachi?" she stuttered out, her face against his warm chest. Her feelings of anger seemed to just wash away only to be replaced with a confounding embarrassment.

_Why was she blushing?_

She had hugged Itachi before so she shouldn't be blushing. She should not be –

So what if this was the _first_ time that_ he_ had ever hugged _her_ first?

That didn't mean she should feel this self-conscious.

_So why was her traitorous face still turning red? _

A few moments had passed but when Itachi didn't make a move to step away, she hesitantly brought her arms up to encircle his waist. He sighed again, the action causing his breath to tickle her ear.

"I understand how you feel Kagome," Itachi murmured, feeling just the bit comforted with her in his arms. "I just…want to thank you for what you did back there…for standing by my brother when I couldn't."

Kagome's arms tightened around Itachi's waist when she heard a trace of guilt in his voice. "He was your father Itachi…it wasn't exactly like you could have…uh-screamed at him like I did," she answered weakly. "I'm sure Sasuke understands."

He nodded lightly.

"Eh," she grimaced as she thought back to how she reacted, "I'm guessing your father doesn't exactly like me now…"

He chuckled. "Ah, he doesn't like a lot of people anyways. Don't take it personally." He couldn't help but smile when a genuine laugh escaped her.

"_Ew, what's going on?"_

Itachi froze as Sasuke's voice interrupted their moment. Kagome reacted immediately, drawing back hastily. Sasuke was standing in front of them, his face scrunched up and his tongue sticking out in disgust. He had his arms crossed in front of his chest, a strangely disapproving look on his face as he glanced between his older brother and Kagome, wondering curiously about why both of their faces were turning pink.

"Ooh, what is going on?" Shisui drawled out, his eyes lighting up in mirth. He was standing by the befuddled seven-year-old, his hips cocked out, his form relaxed and completely at ease.

"N-nothing is going on," she answered clumsily, waving her hands. "Nothing at all."

"Mhmm."

Kagome winced, not liking how a perverted smile started spreading through Shisui's face.

"Seriously!" She frowned when his smile just got impossibly wider. Squaring her shoulders, she refused to humor Shisui and instead turned back to Sasuke, who was blinking up at the older teens. _Ah, he was so adorable_. Kagome hoped that he would never turn out to be like his cousin, who, much to her displeasure, was still looking at her and Itachi with that_ damned_ knowing grin on his face.

"C-come on Sasuke. You can show me the Uchiha grounds…" She let out a small sigh of relief when Sasuke bounded over to her, temporarily forgetting that she had been hugging his brother just a few moments ago.

"Ooh, I'll show you where to find the perfect spot, Kagome-neechan." Sasuke cried out happily as he took her hand in his and led her away. He quickly began to chatter about this one spot that had the perfect shade when it was really hot and had the perfect view of the water. She nodded but spared a look back at the two older Uchihas, feeling just a bit sorry for leaving Itachi with Shisui.

_That's just how the cookie crumbles…_

Shisui watched as Kagome walked away from them before turning to face his cousin…his _blushing_ cousin.

_Well, well, well_…What started out as a horrific lunch just gave way to quite an interesting development…one that he, Uchiha Shisui, felt a duty to exploit to the fullest extent.

He wriggled closer to the other Uchiha, slinging an arm around him as they trailed after the young kunoichi. "I see what happened there Itachi."

"I don't know what you're talking about Shisui," Itachi grunted, trying to remove himself from his cousin's grasp. He wasn't in the mood for one of Shisui's shenanigans.

"No, no. Don't be so coy. I'm actually kinda proud of you man. I mean, for you to be so _young_ and to already have so much _game_," he paused dramatically, ignoring Itachi's protest, wiping an imaginary tear from his eyes, "it brings tears to these old eyes of mine."

"You're. Insane." He glowered.

Shisui simply cackled. "And you, my little cousin, are a _playa_! Hahaha! Who knew Uchiha freaking Itachi would be such a playboy?"

Humiliated, Itachi tried to will away the creeping flush. "Shut up Shisui!"

"Mwuahaha. I cannot believe you got all up in Kagome-chan's business like that-"

"I was _not up in anyone's business_ and certainly not Kagome's!" he strangled out.

"That's not what I saw!" He sang out, practically skipping in delight. "Hahaha. Itachi and Kagome-"

"Shisui-"

"sitting in a tree-"

"…I'm serious! You better stop-"

"K-i-s-s-i-n-g! First comes love-"

"You are asking for it…" Itachi warned, a murderous glint in his eyes.

"then comes marriage-"

"…"

"then comes a baby in a baby car- gahhh," he coughed out, his eyes wide as Itachi grabbed the cuff of his shirt and forcibly yanked him.

Kagome and Sasuke slowed down as Itachi flew past them, practically sprinting towards the grounds, his hand securely around Shisui's shirt. The older Uchiha was gasping, his fingers trying to tug Itachi's grip off.

"H-help me, Ka-" he grunted when Itachi tightened his hold and increased his pace.

"What's going on?" she asked.

Itachi didn't even falter in his pace. They eventually got to the Uchiha grounds and Itachi kicked the gate open as he continued to drag him. He walked to an oddly open area, just near the large lake and tossed the other Uchiha to the ground carelessly.

"My _dear _cousin and I," he spit out, a faint red of the sharingan starting to swirl ominously in his eyes, "are going to spar."

"Nooooooo-ack." Shisui wrestled himself to a standing position as Itachi got into a fighting stance. He swerved as Itachi tossed a kunai easily in his direction, the knife causing a rip in his sleeve. He laughed nervously. "C-come on I-Itachi. I was only kidd-wait, why are you using the _sharingan_?"

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**NEXT TIME: "Why Couldn't She Have A Crush on Me?"  
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In which a silver-haired jounin interrupts the Uchihas' time with Kagome, who quickly who drops Itachi, Shisui, and even little Sasuke like hot potatoes to go with her precious _Kakashi-kun_. Itachi and Shisui are _not_ happy...

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**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

Sorry for the shortness of this chapter but I promise you guys that the next one will be considerably longer!

And there were a lot of you who have expressed some concerns about what role Shisui is going to play (some of you want him to develop a crush on Kagome while some of you don't want him to like her_ like _that). For now, I think that Shisui is probably just going to stay in the friend zone. :) After all, when they're a bit older, and the hormones start getting in the way of Itachi and Kagome's friendship, someone's got to be there to keep the peace. *winkspoilerwink*

But seriously, I'm dying to start writing when they're older and I'm sure many of you are waiting for some romance stuff to happen! Be patient dear readers, since this arc is almost over. After this arc, I'm thinking that maybe I'll delve more into their teenage years. Just a hint of what's to come, those people who have read the first chapter of my other story "A Shot of Indulgence" will see similar things happening in the relationship between Itachi and Kagome...but _who_ is going those dreams is the question. *winkwink*

**REVIEWS = FASTER UPDATE!**

Please and thank you! (^.^) Y


	6. Why Can't She Have A Crush on Me?

**LITTLE WHITE LIES**

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**6  
****Why Can't She Have A Crush on Me?**

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"_Housenka no Jutsu_!"

"Gah!"

Kagome visibly winced as Itachi ruthlessly let loose a barrage of small flames upon the thirteen-year-old. Sharingan blazing, the Uchiha prodigy performed a few more hand seals; the flames quickly dissipated but the shurikens and kunais that were hidden within them still flew true and straight towards their intended target. Shisui was lucky he was as fast as he was…otherwise Kagome had a feeling that he would be a Shisui shish kabob right now._ Heh, a Shisui shish kabob,_ Kagome let out a small chuckle at the name. In the face of an utterly pissed off Uchiha Itachi, Shisui could only dodge and weave away from Itachi's constantly alternating fire jutsus, aiming not to be maimed by the torrent of weapons that was being cast his way.

The kunoichi couldn't help but grin when the flames crept dangerously close to Shisui, who started shrieking in pain and pleading for Itachi _to stop the madness._

_What exactly did he say to Itachi to make him so angry anyways?_

After he had caught them hugging – Kagome still flushed when she thought about it – she had no doubt that he must have made a few…jokes about it. Jokes, by the way that Itachi was so enjoying attacking his cousin, he obviously didn't appreciate. And knowing Shisui, Kagome thought dryly, he must have continued to go on and on until Itachi flipped out.

"Eek, Itachi. I was just messing around with you!" Shisui exclaimed as Itachi threw another kunai at him. "Truce! Truce!"

She snickered when Shisui was forced to activate his own sharingan when Itachi began another series of hand seals. A part of her knew she should try and calm Itachi down before he actually did hurt Shisui but then again…nah, Shisui was a big boy, he could handle himself.

She let out a loud sigh as she settled more comfortably against the giant tree overlooking the lake. Sasuke was right. This was_ the_ perfect spot. Itachi and Shisui were probably going to be preoccupied for quite awhile so she settled on looking around the grounds. There weren't many Uchihas around; there were perhaps two or three small groups of three practicing their jutsus but for the most part, it was eerily peaceful.

Even at a time like this, Kagome couldn't help but think about how_ loaded_ the Uchihas actually were if they could afford a place like this. The Uchiha compounds were situated in the corner of the village but regardless, it still was a buttload of land. She had been amazed – before that horrible lunch – at how many Uchihas actually lived in the compounds; there were shops specifically built just to serve the needs of this particular population. And the grounds were expansive. Aside from the giant lake that shimmered beautifully under the sunlight, there were trees, trees, and even more trees.

"Ne, Sasuke, you're place is so- what's wrong?"

The small Uchiha was leaning against the same tree as the kunoichi, his eyes also staring at the two older Uchihas that were sparring. His legs were bent, his arms wrapped around them as he rested against his head on top of his knees. He was being unusually tight-lipped but what disturbed the young Higurashi was the look of dismay printed on his face. His head was bent and his bangs were drawn over his eyes, but there was no mistaking that look.

Noticing that he was the sole focus of her attention, Sasuke forced his face to relax into a slightly embarrassed smile. He shook his head, trying to stop the older girl from worrying about him. "N-nothing's wrong, Kagome-neechan."

_Just like his older brother_, Kagome thought wryly, Itachi never wanted anyone to feel bad for him, to be concerned over him. There was no doubt that Sasuke managed to possess this same trait. Kagome tilted her head, able to detect the lie easily. His gray eyes were dark with gloom and his posture was reminiscent of when his father had thrown those caustic comments at him. She scooted over to him and placed a reassuring arm around him, smiling just a little when Sasuke naturally leaned into her embrace. "Come on, Sasuke. You know you can tell me anything."

Sasuke stared at his fingers, his face taking on a carefully measured look. He clenched and unclenched his fingers.

A deep crease appeared on her forehead as she watched him. He was obviously worried about something and based on what had happened just hours ago, she had a strong feeling that she knew what was clouding the young Uchiha's mind. Taking him by surprise, she placed her hand gently on top of his twitching hands, causing him to look up at her.

"Is it about your father?"

His lips trembled and nodded weakly. He managed a weak smile, the action causing a rush of sympathy to flow through Kagome. "I-I'm never going to be good enough for him."

It wasn't said as a question, Kagome noted sadly_. Just how long has this been going on?_

His gray eyes had glazed over as the seven-year-old relieved all of the times that his father, intentionally and unintentionally, made it unpleasantly apparent his preference for his older brother.

That's my boy.

_That's_ my boy.

That's_ my_ boy.

That simple statement, those three precious words…

What Sasuke would have given for his father to look at him with the same amount of pride and acceptance that he always looked at with Itachi.

But he never heard those words spoken to _him_.

Never saw his father look at him with_ pride_.

Kagome didn't know what to say to the obviously disheartened child. What _could _she say to him? To a little boy who only wanted his father's love? She glanced back at Itachi, who was still engrossed in his fight with Shisui, both of the teens now looking like they were enjoying the match. _Typical…_ She had half a mind to call him, figuring that he would know what to say to make it alright, to make Sasuke stop looking like_ that_. But…Sasuke was looking back at his fingers, unsure on how his question would be received.

He was embarrassed.

Sasuke looked up again and there was a look in his eyes that surprised the young girl.

There was admiration floating in his gray orbs – admiration and love – but that wasn't strange. Kagome had always thought how adorable Sasuke's and Itachi's relationship was. Sasuke had the upmost respect for his older brother, he admired Itachi's skill and Kagome knew that it gave the little boy a slice of happiness whenever his older brother spared some time to play with him.

But…as she observed Sasuke staring at Itachi…there were other emotions that shone just underneath the admiration - emotions that she had never seen the little boy harbor towards his older brother.

_Resentment. _

_Envy._

_Bitterness._

Whether or not he realized it yet, and Kagome dearly hoped that it wouldn't give rise to anything more serious in the future, Sasuke was starting to begrudge his older brother for something his father did – or in this case – did not do.

"He's wrong," she started. Her arms came around him more securely. "Your father shouldn't have said that, especially not in front of you."

"But he's_ not_ wrong."

Surprise flashed through her face as her precious little Sasuke bit out, his voice holding a note of finality.

"Sas-"

"Father was right. He's_ always_ right." His voice came out slow as though it pained him to even utter it out loud. "When Itachi-nii was my age, he had already graduated and at the top of his class. He was only_ ten _when he mastered the sharingan…I'm already seven and I'm not even in the academy…and how am I supposed to master the sharingan when I don't even know how to get it in the first place?"

Kagome just looked at him for several long moments. Sighing, she cuddled closer to him. "I…know how you feel Sasuke."

"You? But how can you?" He sounded unconvinced. "You graduated when you were nine! And I heard that even though you're not as smart as my nii-san," Kagome resisted the urge to roll her eyes, "I heard that you're really smart too…"

"Do you know I have an older brother too?"

"You have a nii-san?" Sasuke looked surprised.

Kagome nodded, a small smile making its way on her face. "Yep. His name's Bankotsu and he's much older than me."

"How much older?"

"Seven years."

"Wooww, he's old!"

A small laugh escaped her lips as she brushed his hair lightly. "Ha. Don't tell him that. But even though he's ancient, he's an amazing shinobi. He graduated when he was eight and he made ANBU when he was only fifteen…"

Sasuke made a low whistle in wonder.

"When I was smaller…uh- well, smaller than I am right now…I always wanted to be like my older brother. He was so strong and my parents were just so proud of him, you know? I wanted that too…"

"So what did you do?"

"Well, I trained and I trained and _I trained_…" She jutted out her lips as she thought back to how she used to get an innumerable amount of bruises from all of those failed training sessions. "And I mean, I got the theories down and I'm able to memorize hand seals easily but as you probably know, I'm not uh-as quick or as strong as your brother."

Sasuke finally managed to let out a small giggle as her face crumpled up as she delved back into her memories. "Haha. No one's as strong or as quick as my nii-san…"

"Right."

"Haha and Itachi-nii told me that you're _really _clumsy too!"

"He said _what_?"

Sasuke nodded emphatically. "He said that you always fall and stuff and you don't dodge kunais and shurikens as well as you should be."

"Oh he said that did he…?" she muttered out, glaring at the still oblivious Uchiha who was now laughing with Shisui.

"Yup yup."

"Well, _anyways_, what I was saying was that, I trained my butt off but for some reason, I never became as powerful like my brother. And I became really sad because I thought that I would be never as good enough as him."

"Oh…"

"But one day, Bankotsu-nii came over to my room and he healed all of my bruises and wounds. He told me, 'Kagome, you know I love you right?' And he said that he knew what I was doing and that even though he was proud of me training for so hard, he didn't want me to do it for the wrong reasons. "

"The wrong reasons…?" Sasuke blinked curiously, the relationship between Kagome and her nii-san really similar to his relationship with his own nii-san.

"Yeah. He basically told me that I should get stronger because I either wanted to protect the people close to me or because I wanted to be the best that _I_ could be."

"…I don't get it…"

Kagome chuckled. "What I'm trying to say Sasuke, is that you shouldn't want to be strong so you can be like your _brother_. Because no matter how much you try, you can never_ be_ him," Sasuke's face fell in disappointment but she just hugged him tighter, "Itachi is Itachi. And yes, he is special. But _you're_ special too!"

"I am…?" He still sounded unconvinced.

"You are. You are Uchiha Sasuke. There never was anyone like you before and believe me when I say that there will never be another Sasuke like you again." Her gaze flicked over him, her navy blue eyes half-amused as a small grin ghosted across the young Uchiha's face. "One day_, I promise you_ that your father will realize that you _are _just as good as your brother."

He returned her gaze, his dark gray eyes steady, as he continued to stare up at her. He nuzzled up to her, a small smile breaking through. "Thank you Kagome-neechan."

"It's no problem kid. And you want to know another secret?" She whispered conspiratorially.

"Uh-huh?" His eyes shone in curiosity.

"I think that you're _much_ cuter than your nii-san."

"Really?" He giggled again when she nodded enthusiastically, elated that the dark shadows in his eyes had vanished. Her happy Sasuke was finally back. She raised a brow in amusement as Sasuke grunted as he tried to clamber up her lap. He exhaled in contentment as he sat securely in her lap, his short arms intertwined around her neck. Kagome just grinned as she wrapped an arm around his waist, letting the small Uchiha lean on her. She probably would have to tell him that he couldn't do this anymore because much to her dismay, in the months that she had known him, the small Uchiha was growing much too fast.

He was just so cute and innocent now.

She inwardly grimaced at the thought of her chibi Sasuke growing up into a _teenager_…She didn't want him to be socially constipated like Itachi was…_or worse_…to become a pervert like Shisui…No…just no…

There was no way she was going to let the little boy in her arms grow up to be lecherous and rowdy. _That would simply not do…_

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It was only a few minutes later when a tired and grungy looking Shisui trudged up to them, closely followed by Itachi, who much to Kagome's amusement, was wearing a smug expression.

"Had fun, did we?" she asked mildly. She giggled when Shisui blew out a large breath before toppling over dramatically next to her. He laid on his back, covering his eyes with his palm.

"I feel like I'm going to _die_," he moaned out loudly, his voice slightly muffled.

Itachi chuckled. "Don't be so dramatic, Shisui."

The older Uchiha propped his head up, glaring at his younger cousin. "Dramatic? Look at this," he pointed to a developing bruise on his knee, "and_ this_," pointing to his elbow, "and _this,"_ he lifted his shirt to point wildly at the rather large darkened skin that was on his abdomen, "and don't forget _this_!" He yelped out, poking the discoloration on his face.

Itachi just shrugged as though he didn't see anything wrong with what he did.

"Ughhh," he groaned out, plopping himself back down. "You're an evil little kid, Itachi. An. Evil. Little. Kid."

"Ooh, ooh!" The three older teens glanced as Sasuke scrambled up and jumped around excitedly. "I want to see Itachi-nii spar with Kagome-neechan!"

"Sas-"

"Yea, I think I want to see that too…" Shisui muttered, a grin slowly making its way up her face. "I'm sure Itachi would- owww," he gave a pained cry when Itachi kicked him in the shin.

Kagome shook her head at their antics. But now that Sasuke mentioned it, it had been awhile since she and Itachi had had a real fight. Of course, in all of the previous fights, Itachi had won…but this time was going to be different!

"Come on Itachi, let's do this!" Kagome exclaimed. Without even waiting for a response, the blue-eyed kunoichi grabbed Itachi's hand. There was a look of amusement on his face as he allowed the much smaller teen to forcefully drag him back to the clearing.

Itachi took out his katana and swung it easily between his two hands, eyeing the girl with a twinkle in his charcoal tinted eyes. Despite the fight that he had just had with Shisui, he didn't look disheveled in the least. _Perfect Itachi_, Kagome dryly thought to herself, her eyes roaming his proud figure. Though he was only eleven years old and still lanky, he was much taller than the other boys their age and already had the beginnings of muscles.

_This is probably why he has all those fangirls_, she thought back to how all of those girls fawned over him, unable to help but feel a sense of bitterness bubbling within her.

"Whoo-hoo! Go Kagome-chan. Kick his you-know-what!"

"Go! Nii-san!"

"You know I'm not going to go easy on you," Itachi stated casually. He grinned when Kagome threw him an insulted look.

"Oh please Itachi." Kagome performed her own seals, summoning the katana that her brother had given to her. "Take your best shot."

Itachi raised a brow and promptly disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Kagome paled and she swore she felt a lone sweat drip down her face when not even a second later, she felt the cold steel of Itachi's kunai pressed in her throat.

"Come on Kagome. You know how I like a good challenge." Kagome couldn't help but give a small shiver as his voice vibrated against the edge of her ears as he drew closer to her.

In a sudden move that surprised the young Uchiha, she used a substitution jutsu and reappeared just as quick behind him, using the momentum to kick him, causing him to sprawl forward.

"How do you like me now?" she taunted, her blue eyes twinkling teasingly.

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_Okay, she really needed to work out more._

Kagome gave a small shriek as she twisted her body to avoid getting burned by a stupid fire dragon that Itachi had summoned. She dodged again, swatting her hair out of her eyes, and used her katana to repel another torrent of kunais.

_Where was he getting all of these kunais from?_

Before he could perform another jutsu, Kagome leapt forward, attempting to strike Itachi down with her katana.

Metal clashed as he quickly raised his own sword. His lips twisted into a smirk as he easily deflected all of her attacks, the shine of his sharingan flaunting his own power. _Well, at least she managed to get him to use his sharingan._

"You need more practice," he breathed out as their swords crashed into each other again.

Cobalt eyes shone dangerously as she glared at her opponent. "No offense Itachi," she growled out, "but you can bite me." Her irritation only increased when a small rumble of a laugh escaped from him.

"Someone's improved."

Both teens froze as a deeply masculine voice interrupted their staring competition. Itachi raised a brow when Kagome instantly drew back, her sword disappearing as she faced the other figure. The male scratched his gray hair as he waved at the young girl. Deactivating his sharingan, his onyx eyes slowly roved over the male, who, judging from his attire, was obviously a jounin. There was nothing special about the other man, aside from the mask that was drawn over his left eye. The mask was what caught the attention of the Uchiha. He had heard a couple of years ago that a non-Uchiha was given a sharingan. This shinobi was said to be constantly wearing a mask over the eye blessed with the power of his clan's kekkai genkai. Was this –

"Kakashi-kun!"

He snuck a glance from the corner of his eyes at Kagome, only to frown when he saw that her face had reddened considerably; he had a feeling that it was_ not_ from the heat. There was a particular spark in her shining blue eyes that he'd never seen before, a spark that caused a slight twinge in his gut when he saw that it was completely directed at the older male.

"Yo," Kakashi raised a hand in greeting, his one sole eye crinkling in a smile as the young kunoichi enthusiastically jumped in his arms, encircling his waist tightly.

Itachi tilted his head, catching Shisui's stare.

"_Who is this guy_?" he mouthed off, gesturing wildly at the pair. Itachi shrugged, his attention back on the male, who _still_ had his hands around Kagome's waist. He slowly sheathed his sword, keeping his obsidian eyes on him, in case he tried to do something _funny_ to Kagome.

Unaware of the questioning glances that she and Kakashi were receiving, Kagome kept her arms tightly around her favorite jounin. Her cheeks were still flushed with pink as her startling blue eyes met Kakashi's dark orb.

"What are you doing here, Kakashi-kun?" She breathed out as she reluctantly disentangled herself from his arms.

He smiled crookedly as he ruffled her hair, ignoring how three other pairs of dark eyes were staring at them. "Your brother sent me to come get you." He tilted his head, pursing his lips as though he was in thought. "Although I don't really know why he insisted that_ I_ had to do it."

_I do_, Kagome flushed, fully aware that her older brother knew that she had a crush on the sixteen-year-old. She simply offered a smile, shrugging her shoulders. "I-I don't know. Bankotsu-niisan is probably just too lazy to come here himself."

She peered up at him only to see him smiling down at her knowingly, a slight twinkle in his eye. His black eye studied her sun-kissed face. He brushed his silver hair from his face and leaned forward, finding it highly amusing how the small girl fidgeted nervously under his stare.

"Hmm…Perhaps he is." He leaned back before patting her head affectionately.

"_Ahem."_

Kagome and Kakashi simultaneously rotated to see Itachi and Shisui staring at the pair of them with identical looks of suspicion on their faces. Sasuke scampered past the older Uchihas to tug on Kagome's hand.

"Ne, Kagome-nee. Who's he?"

"I'm Hatake Kakashi," answered Kakashi, eyeing the small boy who was looking up at him curiously.

"Hatake Kakashi?" Shisui repeated, finding the name awfully familiar. "…Ooh! You're that guy who-"

"Aww, Kagome-neechan, does that mean you're leaving us?" Sasuke interrupted loudly, crossing his arms.

Kagome giggled, ruffling his hair, her grin widening when Sasuke swatted her hand away, an annoyed look still on his face.

"Well-"

"But you promised that you were going to have dinner with us, Kagome-neechan," he whined, stamping his foot into the ground.

"I know I promised but-" Her eyes slid over to Kakashi who had taken out one of his weird books to read. She knew she had promised them _but_…how many times did Kakashi actually come to pick her up? And it wasn't _exactly_ like she was breaking her promise…She said she was going to have dinner with them but she didn't specifically say it was supposed to be _today_. And after that disaster of a lunch, she wasn't particularly looking forward to round two. She was serious when she joked with Itachi that his father probably…disliked her _strongly_. But looking at the disappointed pout on Sasuke's face, she couldn't help but feel a small sensation of guilt twisting in her gut.

On the other hand, _this was Kakashi-kun. _

Ah, the dilemma of a ten-year-old girl.

While Kagome was internally weighing out her options, Shisui had been closely analyzing Kagome's body language. While the older jounin had long since taken out one of those Icha Icha Tactics book – _good choice by the way_ – and he seemed completely immersed in the novel – _which Shisui couldn't blame the jounin since he knew firsthand about the…uh…stimulating plotlines _– Kagome couldn't stop flitting her eyes over to him every other second. And she still had a light blush on her face…

_Now why did this situation feel so familiar…? _

Hmm…Wait a minute…Guy + Teen girl + Blushing + Willingness to ditch friends to go with guy…That could only mean_ one_ thing…His eyes widened in slight disgust as the thought struck him.

"Aha!" Shisui exclaimed, jutting his finger out to point it accusingly at the flustered kunoichi. "I know why you're ditching us!" His dark eyes narrowed, darting between the still oblivious jounin to the blushing genin.

Kagome laughed nervously, waving her hands in defense. "Ha…I don't know-I mean…uh, I'm not ditching you!"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. You're ditching us because you have a cru-"

Kagome's eyes widened considerably as Shisui was about to reveal the secret that was _not to be revealed_. Using speed that even she didn't know she had, she sprinted over to the older Uchiha and quickly placed her hand over his mouth.

"Say anything more and _I will end you_," she warned him threateningly. She tried to sound serious but she was failing miserably as Shisui continued to pin her with that snide look in his eyes as though he knew exactly what she was thinking.

"Mhph-" he exclaimed, his voice muffled by the hand that was still tightly over his mouth.

Kagome threw a frantic glance to the jounin who, luckily, was still engrossed in his book. She turned back to Shisui with pleading eyes. "Please, please, Shisui. _Please be quiet_."

He grunted, grasping her hand and pulling it off of him. "Why should I? You're the one leaving us…" He pouted again, looking more like a little child than the thirteen-year-old teen he was supposed to be.

"Come on Shisui. Please try to understand," she whispered out urgently, hoping and praying that Kakashi wouldn't find this unusual. She would seriously die of embarrassment if he ever discovered that she had a crush on him.

"Kagome," Kakashi looked up to see the small kunoichi pleading with her friends who were looking…unhappy. He bit back a smile as she tried to keep the older one from blurting out that she had a crush on him. He was one of the youngest to ever graduate the Academy and become an ANBU. He was trained to understand people's behaviors. Of course he knew that his best friend's sister had a crush on him. It was actually kind of cute. That, and he enjoyed seeing Bankotsu squirm when Kagome was around him.

"If you want to stay…" he trailed off, allowing the ten-year-old to decide whether she wanted to go with him or not.

"No, no. I want to go with you-"

"Yeah, because she's _so_ in lo-" Shisui gasped out in pain when Kagome elbowed him rather painfully in his stomach, the same place where she knew he had a large bruise.

"Please, Shisui, I promise that if you let this go," she spoke softly, so softly that even he had to strain to hear what she was saying, "I'll do whatever you want."

Shisui raised a brow, a small smirk gracing his face. _Wow, she was desperate_. He leaned down, his dark eyes leveled with her frustrated blue orbs. "You'll do_ anything_?"

"Yes, anything." She hissed out and crossed her arms, glaring darkly up at the Uchiha, who she wouldn't mind stabbing with a kunai right now. His smirk widened as he straightened back up.

"Heh. No, Kakashi-sempai, Kagome-chan here would _love_ to go with you!" He happily exclaimed, draping an arm around a huffing Kagome while pushing her lightly towards Kakashi.

"But, Shisui-nii. She promised-"

"Hush, Sasuke."

"Tsk."

"Okay…" Kakashi glanced between them, a little curious as to what Kagome had said to the older boy who, just a few seconds ago had probably the biggest frown on his face; now, he looked as though his birthday had come early.

"…But Kagome-nee…"

"I'll come back tomorrow and we'll play together," Kagome murmured leaning down to the baby Uchiha. When he kept his eyes averted, she gently cupped his cheek and twisted his head so he would meet her gaze. "Okay? Sasuke?"

"…You promise?"

"I promise," she assented. "Now come and give me a hug," she let out a low laugh when Sasuke glomped her, his hair tickling her cheek when he continued on to hold tightly.

"So I guess I'll see you tomorrow as well," Itachi said, gently extricating a reluctant Sasuke who was still gripping unto Kagome's waist. There was a shadowed look in his face as he spared a glance at Kakashi, a look that only served to amuse the jounin even further. Itachi had a niggling suspicion that he would grow to dislike this Hatake Kakashi, especially after glancing back at Kagome who still had that disturbing twinkle in her eye whenever she sneaked in a few glances here and there at the silver-haired jounin.

Kagome tilted her head, sticking her tongue out playfully. "Yeah, and this time I'll beat you!"

"Well, everybody's got to have a dream," he joked out lightly, his eyes lightening up since Kakashi arrived.

Kagome shook her head but gave them a salute as she turned to Kakashi. "Feh, come on Kakashi-kun, we wouldn't want to be late for dinner!" Kagome said, placing a smile on her lips as she trotted over to him. She held out a hand, looking up at him expectantly.

"Alright," the silver-haired shinobi said, taking her hand, a small smile playing at the corner of his lips. "And we have to talk that little move you pulled with Itachi in that fight. I thought I taught you better than that," he said lightly as they began to walk away.

"Aww, Kakashi-kun-"

The three Uchihas could only stand there and watch as the two walked away, the older Uchihas watching in slight irritation how Kagome easily blushed when Kakashi teasingly ruffled her hair.

"He_ totally_ knows she's crushing on him…hmph…"

"…"

"He's just_ so_ old though! I mean, did you see his _gray _hair?" Shisui muttered. "Why did she have to like _him_? She could have liked me…uh…," he faltered when Itachi pinned him with a look, "eh…_just kidding_?"

"Hn."

"Hmm…I know she said she's coming back here tomorrow, but why does it feel like we just kicked to the curb?"

"…Maybe because we just did."

"…I don't think I like that."

"You know Shisui," Itachi admitted, a twinge of bitterness in his voice, watching as Kakashi and Kagome turned the corner out of the grounds, "neither do I."

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"So then what happened nii-san?" Souta exclaimed, his hazel eyes riveted to his older brother.

Bankotsu's eyes twinkled in appreciation as his eyes roved over his younger sister and brother's faces. "And then, when he thought he had killed me," he continued, his voice at a minimal whisper, "he turned around and was about to walk away." He paused, turning around himself, before facing his audience. "But I used the teleportation jutsu and…_popped_ him in the face like BAM!" He called out, pumping his hand into a fist as though he was punching the enemy in his story. He and Kakashi laughed when the younger Higurashis jerked back in their seats at his sudden movement.

"Eh, Bankotsu-nii. You're so cool!" Kagome declared proudly, the blue eyes that were identical to her oldest brother glittering.

"The coolest," her younger brother concurred, nodding his head wholeheartedly.

Kakashi grinned, enjoying the raucous laughter that always accompanied dinner in the Higurashi household. Even Higurashi-san and his wife joined in the conversation, frequently having to come in between Kagome and Souta when one or both were ready to fling their food at each other.

He shook his head when his friend and fellow ANBU puffed out his chest under his siblings' praise.

"Now _this_ guy right here," Kakashi raised a silver brow when Bankotsu nudged him in the shoulder, "he's a troublemaker."

"What?"

Bankotsu nodded, his lips set in a grin. "Do you remember that one time where we had to do a mission in the Village of the Grass and _my_ father had to separate us because you got a temper tantrum?"

"Kakashi-kun got a temper tantrum?" Kagome asked, turning her attention to the wary jounin, unable to belief that her somewhat serious _Kakashi-kun_ did something so immature like have a _temper tantrum _during a mission.

"Oi, Bankotsu. That was only because you were irritating me."

"Irritating you?"

Kakashi subtly lowered his mask as he calmly plopped a piece of fish in his mouth. "Don't be so surprised. It's what you do with everybody."

"Oooh, _burn_." Kagome and Souta whispered. Bankotsu frowned, turning his head to face his friend.

"But did you really have to try to throw a shuriken at me?"

His eyes narrowed when Kakashi just grinned, shrugging his broad shoulder. "The situation called for it."

"Called for it? The situation _called for it_? Are you freaking kidding me?"

"Language Bankotsu," his mother interjected quietly.

"Sorry mother," he muttered, still shooting a dirty glare at his teammate who just kept on eating.

"You shouldn't have threatened to burn my book."

"I didn't threaten anything! All I did was grab _your_ stupid book," Bankotsu quickly flipped open the pouch that Kakashi had left behind his seat and waved the object around, "which _you shouldn't_ have brought to the mission in the first place!"

Kakashi paused and let his chopsticks clang to the porcelain bowl as Bankotsu waved his book around in his face over and over again. "Let go of the book, Bankotsu."

"No. How about you make me?"

Kagome watched curiously as Kakashi leaned forward and tried to tug the book out of her brother's grip. "Hmm…what's that book about anyways?"

An awkward silence permeated the table when Kagome innocently asked her question.

Souta sniggered as his brother and Kakashi suddenly stopped fighting. Even his parents were grinning at the sudden turn. Though he was only eight years old, he had snuck into his older brother's room a few enough times to know _exactly_ what was in those books.

"Yeah, Bankotsu-niisan, what_ is_ that book about?"

"Uh-well uh," Bankotsu stuttered out. He glanced at Kakashi who also looked flustered as the ten-year-old blinked up at them, genuinely curious.

Kagome looked pointedly at their hands, which were frozen over the book. Squinting her eyes, she tried to have a closer look at the cover. It was purple and there was a figure – female – on it. "Icha…Icha…Wait…Niisan, why is there a half-naked girl…with a guy on top of her on the cover?"

She just scratched her head when her brother's face flared red again. Even Kakashi looked slightly uncomfortable, a tinge of red on his cheeks.

"Is he trying to resuscitate her, niisan? Is that why his hands are on her chest?"

Unable to hold it in any longer, Souta bellowed out his laughter, slamming his palms on his knees as he started to tear up. "Hahahaha! Yeah…niisan…why is…his…haha…hands on her…hahahaha…chest?" He managed to choke out.

Kagome peered at her younger brother. "I…don't get it…"

Kakashi wisely drew back as Bankotsu threw the offending object back in the pouch. He threw the dark-eyed shinobi a dismayed expression. "Hey, she asked _you_._ I'm_ not her niisan…" He shrugged when Bankotsu looked at him accusingly. "I'm just trying to eat here."

"Ne, Kagome-chan…uh – he's just helping her…"

"So why is she on the ground?"

"Because uh…well…she fell?"

"Really Bankotsu? _She fell_?" Kakashi looked at him dryly, wondering what their enemies would say if they discovered that Higurashi Bankotsu, wielder of the Banryu, well known for his skills with swords, cowered under the question of his little ten-year-old sister. _Ha._

"Hey, I don't see you helping."

"_I _didn't take the book out."

"But it's_ your_ book!"

"Niisan…is it a _pervy_ book?"

"W-what? Why would you say that? Kagome-chan, that is a _ridiculous _accusation! I would _never _– and Kakashi here would never be caught reading a pervy book. Like, it is nonsense coming out of your mouth right now and I don't even know where you're getting this idea –"

Kagome narrowed her eyes suspiciously as her brother continued to ramble on, his face just getting redder and redder. Kakashi-kun was just trying to eat, his eyes carefully avoiding her prodding gaze; but Kagome didn't fail to notice that his own cheeks were reddening and there were a few drops of sweat that dripped down his face as he tried to ignore Kagome's gaze. _They were acting…odd_. Her eyes darted over to Souta who nodded slightly.

"Hmm…Nii-san…are you and Kakashi-kun perverts?"

Kakashi coughed out just as he was sipping the tea. Kagome and Souta raised their arms as the tea splattered out.

"_O-kay_. I think it's time to go watch that movie," Bankotsu insisted, scrambling up, pulling up her younger sister as he dragged her off to the other room where the television was located.

"But nii-san-"

"Shush Kagome, I'll explain this to you when you're older…much much _much _older."

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Hours later, a very tuckered out Kagome was brought in to her room by Bankotsu, who insisted that he talk to her before she slept.

Kagome sighed happily as she sat up on her bed, her older brother sitting by the side of the bed.

"I have something for you," he said, taking out a small bundled package. He gently grabbed her hand and opened it up, placing the bundle in her hand.

Raising a brow but choosing to remain silent, Kagome slowly loosened the ties and emptied it. A small gasp escaped her lips when a small circular jewel dropped out, the light hitting and reflecting off its smooth pink surface.

"Wow, this is beautiful," she breathed out, placing the small jewel closer to her, turning it carefully in her fingers, amazed at how she could practically see her reflection within the depths of the precious stone. "W-where did you get this niisan?"

"I got it during a mission…Supposedly, this jewel has a myth behind it."

"A myth?"

Bankotsu nodded, his blue eyes eyeing the jewel heavily, as though he was reliving the moments of that mission. "This jewel, the Shikon Jewel, as it's called, apparently was crafted by the gods. It was handed down to be protected by a miko of pure heart and soul and it is said that it can grant a single wish that the guardian makes – a selfless wish…" He trailed off, looking at it wistfully before shaking his head, placing a familiar grin on his face. "Anyways, it was given to me by this old woman, told me that I should give it to someone I care about."

"And you're giving it to me?" She craned her head up to look at her brother, feeling her lips twitch, trying to stop herself from crying. A flicker of a smile flashed across his face as he placed the jewel around her neck, his fingers toying idly with the silver chain.

"You're my baby sister, Kagome. My only sister," Bankotsu whispered out. He looked oddly despondent, his dark bangs falling unto his eyes. "I-I just want you to have something to remember me by."

Kagome raised her head, the feeling of dread and uncertainty solidifying in her stomach. She hadn't felt this way since two nights ago when she had caught her brother and her father speaking to each other about a mission. She took a deep breath and gripped his hand. "Why are you saying this stuff Bankotsu-nii? I don't like it...It sounds like you're saying good-bye."

"I'm not saying good-bye Kagome. I just…want to make sure that in case this mission ends badly-"

"It won't!" Kagome exclaimed, her brows furrowed.

"Kagome-"

"No!" She shook her head rapidly. Her body was tense and her gaze refused to stray from his own. "You and Kakashi-kun and Father are the best shinobis I know! _All of you_ will come back to me."

Bankotsu sighed, leaning back, his long tanned fingers rubbing at his eyes. How was he supposed to tell his sister that the chance of them coming from this mission was slim? "…You're right Kagome. I'm just being overly worried as usual. I'm sure we'll be fine," he said though his voice sounded unconvinced.

"I don't like this! I don't like this _at all_! I don't want you to go!" She surprised him when she leapt forward and wrapped her arms tightly around his torso. "If it's so dangerous, _don't go_!"

Bankotsu remained silent as he ran a comforting hand on his sister's hair. "Do you remember what father said that night?"

Kagome sighed, refusing to let go. "He said…shinobis have certain responsibilities…and sometimes we cannot say no…"

"Then you know why I cannot just abandon my mission. You plan to be in ANBU in the future…you have to learn this now…" She was startled at the bitterness in his voice.

"But niisan…"

Bankotsu cupped her face, his finger wiping a stray tear on her face. "I love you Kagome. We'll be gone for a month and I promise I will do my best to make sure all of us come back home safely."

Kagome sniffled, her tears beginning to dry. She tugged on his braid as she nestled her head against his chest. "I love you too niisan."

He sighed as he kissed her temple one last time. He stood up and gave her one last look, looking almost apologetic before he turned off the light and softly closed the room.

Kagome laid back against the bed, too worried to even think about sleeping. She fingered the jewel that she had just received. Even with the light off, the moonlight still shone through, the jewel almost glowing eerily.

"My niisan said that you were supposed to grant a wish," she whispered as she cradled that jewel to her chest. "So please, Shikon Jewel, grant my one wish…"

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"Protect my brother…my father…Kakashi-kun…and everybody else on their team. Bring them back to me…"

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_Please._

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**NEXT TIME: "Fights, Arguments, and the Saimyōshō"  
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Kagome has become more withdrawn and distant, ignoring people that she normally wouldn't. With tempers flaring, buttons will be pushed and everybody learns to give her some space; however she quickly realizes that Uchiha Itachi does not and will not be ignored.

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**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

Thanks again for all of your reviews everybody! I'm really glad that you guys still like this story.

I do try and respond to any and all reviews I receive for this story so if you have any questions, don't hesitate to pop a word in. Who knows? If you ask the right questions (like some of you have already done), you might just get a teeny spoiler about what I have planned for this story. I'll try to post up the next chapter before school starts.

As I mentioned in the last chapter, there are probably around 2-3 chapters more left in this arc and then we advance towards the next arc which is probably going to take place 2 years later and some important stuff is going to go down in that arc. Special abilities will be learned, crushes will be developed, important people will be introduced *coughShioricough*

If you're ever curious about the schedule of this story and about other stories that I'm planning on writing, you can always pop in on my profile! Please and thank you (n_n) Y


	7. Fights, Arguments, and the Saimyōsho

**LITTLE WHITE LIES**

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**7**

**Fights, Arguments, and the Saimyōsho**

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Darkened cobalt blue eyes narrowed as a hiss of pain escaped Bankotsu's bloodied lips as his father took a kunai and slit the side of his abdomen, a warm gush of blood escaping the damaged skin. He leaned against the tree, watching with slight nausea as his father's hands glowed green as he tried to remove the poison that was still coursing through his blood. He gripped the hilt of his sword, the Banryu so tightly that his nails were drawing even more blood.

"Fu-" he gritted his teeth and clenched his eyes tight as his stomach muscles started going through the most uncomfortable spasms. Taking in a ragged breath, his eyes met the sole orb of Kakashi, who spared a glance at him while simultaneously looking around them to make sure they were safe.

"Keep still Bankotsu," his father scolded him gently, his hands stable despite the knowledge that they were currently covered in his oldest son's blood.

Muttering out a small apology, Bankotsu stopped fidgeting. "What the hell were those things anyways?" He cocked his head, the only body part that he could move now without feeling excruciating pain shoot through him, towards the three fallen bodies that had been the cause of the situation that he was in.

Kakashi sighed, rubbing his calloused fingers through his disheveled silver hair. His dark eye followed Bankotsu's gaze towards the winged creatures which he, in all of his years as a shinobi, he had never honestly seen before. They were larger than normal and had red eyes which seemed to have been following them carefully the past couple of days.

_Or was it weeks?_

…_Maybe months?_

The sixteen-year-old ANBU tilted his head, slanting the dented white porcelain mask to the side as he casually noted that the sky was a pleasant blue today, void of any lingering clouds. Was it just yesterday that it was raining? Or maybe it was the day before?

He didn't know anymore.

Since he had gone on this mission, keeping track of time wasn't of the highest priority, staying alive was.

The knot in his stomach squeezed in discomfort as he realized that it had to have been many weeks since they had left Konohagakure. He could name the things that scared him on one hand and he wasn't afraid…but there was something about this situation…about this entire mission that unnerved the sixteen-year-old.

When the Hokage called on his team, their sole instruction was to find _him_.

They were told that there was a wandering shinobi travelling across the different villages in the Land of Fire, a man who supposedly vanished as quickly as he had appeared. However, what disturbed the local lords that forced them to call upon the assistance of the Hokage was that when this man disappeared…so did many of the villagers. Weeks, perhaps months later, these villagers were found…well, at least parts of them.

And a number of ANBU were sent to either retrieve or assassinate this man but none of them ever came back.

No one ever returned.

"What's wrong father?"

The worry in Bankotsu's voice interrupted Kakashi's reverie, causing him to look upon them with curiosity. Higurashi Takumi was still, his hands no longer glowing as his eyes fluttered close.

"What is it Higurashi-san?"

"Shh," he murmured, leaning back on his legs as he raised one bloody finger to his lips to shush them. Opening up one blue eye first and then the other, he tilted his head as he slowly stood up, unsheathing his katana.

"Do you hear that?"

Silence pervaded the forest. No birds were chirping, no animals scurrying across the forest floor.

"I don't hear anything," Bankotsu grunted, his hands clutched tightly around his stomach, only a light bandage covering the wound.

"Exactly. There's something wrong…"

Kakashi unveiled his sharingan as he noticed that there were dark wisps slowly starting to form on the sky. "Up there."

Bankotsu raised his head slowly to see the dark cloud moving closer and closer towards them. As it got even closer, they were able to hear the hum of wings flapping wildly as crimson eyes started to appear. What faced them was not a cloud; but rather thousands and thousands of the wasps that resembled the three that they had just killed moments ago.

Bankotsu grunted as he raised his sword as one of the wasps separated from the group to dive down directly at him.

"Fuck my life."

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Kagome sighed, brushing her hair to the side as she shielded her eyes away from the blinding heat. They were just a few hours away from reaching Konoha but she wanted nothing more than to just go back home and sulk. It had been more than _three _months since her brother and father had gone on their mission with Kakashi and there has neither been a word nor any news about their whereabouts or status. She had tried to go to the Hokage and bother the old man about what happened to their team but since she was only a _child_, she scoffed at the term, knowing that she was smarter than half of those guards, she didn't get anywhere near the village leader.

Now instead of waiting outside of the Mission Headquarters, fully determined to wear his bodyguards out, she was instead forced to go on this mission to guard Sawada Hikaru to the Tanabata Star Festival where she was supposed to sing. How was she supposed to enjoy the stupid star festival when she was worried sick about her family?

"Are you alright Kagome?"

She flinched when Itachi placed a gentle hand on her shoulder, a frown tugging his lips as his onyx eyes focused on the small kunoichi.

She placed a fake smile on her face, the light not reaching her eyes as she subtly moved away from Itachi's touch – an action that didn't fail to evade from the young Uchiha's attention. "I'm alright Itachi."

"…I don't believe you," he murmured, increasing his pace when Kagome started walking faster. He raised a brow when Kagome exhaled sharply, keeping her eyes averted from his prodding gaze.

"Well believe it. I'm absolutely positively _fine."_

"And you expect me to believe _that_?"

"Why do you believe otherwise?"

Itachi pursed his lips, looking sideways at the smaller teen. "You've…changed. You haven't been the same…"

Kagome scoffed.

"I'm serious," Itachi stated. "For one, you haven't been smiling as much or laughing as much." _And it's starting to worry me. _

And it was true. Kagome, since he had met her almost a year ago, was one of the happiest people he had met. He admired that about her, her ability to always look for the proverbial silver lining in every cloud that floated her way. He had heard about the mission that her father and brother were on and he was afraid that perhaps _this _cloud was too dark for her to overcome. At least on her own.

"You...it's just not the same," he ended lamely.

He halted when Kagome suddenly stopped, jerking around to face him. He was a little bit comforted that at least the dull look in her eyes were gone. Granted, now she looked more than a little upset but it was an improvement.

"Well, I'm sorry that I'm not as happy or smiling as much Itachi," she gritted out, a hint of irritation creeping in despite her attempts to keep her voice as even as possible. "I can't be happy all the freaking time."

"I'm not telling you to pretend that you're happy if you're not," he retorted quickly. "But you've been withdrawn and that's what's bothering Shisui and I-"

"_Shisui and you_?" she narrowed her cobalt eyes, her fists clenched. "So the both of you have been talking about me behind my back?"

"That's not-"

Kagome turned back around, her spine rigid and stiff from the tension. "You know what Itachi. Just leave it okay."

"Kagome-"

"Just stop." She bit out. "I wish you didn't even bother coming."

The young Uchiha sighed and watched her walk away from him and towards the others.

Kagome silently crept up beside the other teens fully aware of Itachi's stare on her back. She smiled faintly when Sango gave her a questioning look, relieved when the other genin didn't ask her any questions.

"And-and guess what the barman said to the horse?" Shisui gasped out, his dark eyes twinkling merrily.

"What?" Hikaru and Sango asked.

"He said, 'Why the long face?'" finished Shisui, guffawing loudly, slapping his leg.

The two girls laughed, more so at Shisui's reaction rather than the joke.

Shisui sidled closer to Sango, earning an amused smile from Hikaru, who was standing beside her, an amused smile on her face. "Hey Sango-chan?"

"Yes Shisui-kun?" Sango raised a brow, finding the chuunin both ridiculous but funny at the same time.

His dark eyes gleamed mischievously as he eyed the brown-haired girl. "If I told you that you had a nice body, would you hold it against me?" He leaned forward, his eyes locked on her brown orbs, a smirk tugging his lips up.

Sango chuckled. "No, but then again, it'll be hard for you to hold anything if you're passed out on the ground." Then as if to reinforce her threat, she lightly tapped her hiraikotsu.

As expected, Shisui's grin grew even wider. "Ah, violent as well as pretty. I like that."

"Feh, that was lame," Inuyasha commented dryly from beside them. He looked towards Sesshoumaru who was determined not to get involved with the trite conversations of teenagers. "And why are we letting them go with us again?" he muttered bitterly, his amber eyes flitting between the quiet Uchiha who was deliberately ignoring him and the other more obnoxious Uchiha who was practically skipping beside them.

It was bad enough that he got lumped with Itachi who strutted around like he owned the place. It grated on his nerves when the Uchiha heir felt the need to correct his stance when he fought with his Tetsusaiga. _Feh, freaking Uchiha. Look at me, I graduated when I was seven. Big whoop de whoop. _And just to make everything so much better, his stupid, perverted cousin, Uchiha Shisui had to come on their mission as well. Weren't they chuunins already? What, did the village not give missions anymore?

What a pain in the butt.

Itachi raised a brow at Inuyasha's tone. He usually just ignored his rudeness but after his little talk with Kagome, he wasn't exactly in the best of moods. "Why Inuyasha. You don't have to sound so pleased with us here. Believe me, we get just as much pleasure to see your face."

Sesshoumaru breathed out a small sigh as his brother looked like he was going to go on another tirade. He had been doing that a lot lately…Well, more so in the mission after he found out that he had allowed Shisui and Itachi Uchiha to accompany them. Choosing not to respond, he continued walking along, asking himself again why he had chosen to teach genins. Never again, he thought to himself, never again.

"You know what Uchiha? You can go to hell," Inuyasha growled out.

"Why don't you go and save a seat for me? After all, you're likely to get there first," Itachi responded in a bored tone that served to further irk the other teen.

"_Oh snap_, nice one Itachi," Shisui exclaimed. "High five!" He raised his hand but smiled sheepishly, lowering his hand, when Itachi just looked at him with a dead-panned expression. "O-kay, we'll work on that later then."

"Tsk. You guys piss me off," Inuyasha crossed his arms over his chest, eyeing them distastefully.

"Yeah, we'll we're not here for you captain Sunshine," said Shisui cheerfully, sneering at the growing twitch that was on Inuyasha's temple. He flounced over to Kagome and placed a friendly arm over her. "We're here for our little Kagome-chan."

Inuyasha rolled his eyes. And that was another thing that irked him about Uchiha number one and Uchiha number two. They were just so damned familiar with Kagome, especially the idiot one. He was always hugging the kunoichi, ruffling her hair, pinching her cheeks like she was a freaking doll.

"Well _your_ little Kagome-chan is a big girl Uchiha. She can take of herself," he stalked towards them and tore Kagome out of his grip, placing the girl slightly behind him as he turned to face Shisui, whose expression seemed to be getting darker and darker. He glanced at Itachi who also had a frown on his face.

Kagome simply sighed and shook her head at their behavior. They've been at each other for the past couple of days and she had trained herself to just let their comments go through one ear and out the other. She had other, much more important things to worry about.

"You know what it looks like to me?" Shisui asked, his dark eyes narrowing with dark mirth.

He cocked his head and placed his hands on his hips, exhibiting an air of arrogance that he had mastered after being part of the Uchiha elite for so long. "It seems to me like Inu-baka here is a little jealous that Kagome prefers me over him." His lips twisted in a sneer when Inuyasha sputtered out indignantly; he was clearly embarrassed seeing at how red the tips of his ears were.

Kagome lifted her head, a little surprised at the vindictiveness etched in Shisui's tone.

"What the hell did you say?" He straightened up, his eyes sparking with anger. "W-why the hell would I be jealous of a pervert like you?"

Shisui placed a long finger on his chin, tilting his head from side to side as he continued to smile mockingly. "Oh, I don't know. Maybe because _you_ have a crush on Kagome and it's _obvious _that she doesn't have one on you."

The whole group had stopped at that point as all eyes were focused on the confrontation between the two older teens. Kagome glanced over to Inuyasha who was starting to breathe heavily, his body coiled in anger.

She knew Inuyasha liked her. She wasn't blind. He looked at her like she looked at Kakashi.

Still…she didn't expect Shisui to bluntly throw it back in Inuyasha's face.

This was a side of Shisui that she never expected to see.

She peered up at the silver-haired genin. The look on his face was murderous.

"You better shut your mouth Shisui."

Despite Itachi's soft whispers to calm down, Shisui strolled forwards and came to a stop directly in front of the enraged Taishou, smiling with disdain. "How about you make me, _Inu-baka_?"

Unable to rein in his temper any longer, Inuyasha shoved Shisui back. In an instant, he had unsheathed his tetsusaiga while Shisui simultaneously reached back to retrieve his own katana.

She reached to tug back Inuyasha's sleeve when he was about to lunge forward. "Stop it Inuyasha."

"_Yeah stop it Inuyasha_," Shisui mimicked, his eyes glinting maliciously. He tightened the hold on the hilt of his katana, his body tense with the expectation of a fight. He never liked the other teen and how he always threw a tantrum whenever Itachi or he showed up to hang out with Kagome. _Who the hell did this squirt think he was?_ It was obvious since he had first met him that the reason why he always got irritated with both of the Uchihas was that they took away Kagome's attention from him.

_Tough luck,_ Shisui thought darkly watching as the small kunoichi tried to calm him down. _But Kagome-chan is ours._

"Enough Shisui," Itachi intervened as well, placing a restraining hand on his cousin's arm.

"Heh, do you always have your cousin fight your battles for you?"

"Do you always talk crap to people who can wipe the ground with your face?"

"Is that a threat?"

"You bet your ass it is."

"I would love to see you try."

Shisui and Inuyasha were literally at each other's throat, their faces beginning to turn red as the bickering quickly degenerated into a loud screaming match of profanities.

While the others were completely focused on Shisui and Inuyasha, the younger Uchiha had his coal-colored eyes darted worriedly at Kagome. Her head was bent and though her dark bangs were covering her face, her body was trembling with what Itachi could only surmise was anger.

"Kagome-chan likes _me_ better, idiot!" Shisui proclaimed confidently.

"What the hell are you talking about? You've only known her for a year. I've known her for two!"

"And it just kills you that she would rather spend time with_ us_ than with_ you_!"

"_Shut up! Both of you shut the hell up_!"

The two teens suddenly clamped their mouths shut as Kagome bellowed out angrily. Her chest was heaving, her blue eyes flashing with fury as she glared at both Inuyasha and Shisui.

"I am so sick and tired of the both of you arguing and fighting like you're little kids. It's been like this every freaking day and I am fed up with listening to the two of you screaming at each other like a bunch of maniacs."

"But Kagome-"

"Kagome-chan-"

She gritted her teeth, raising a finger to shush them as all of the frustration continued to pour out of her. "No, don't Kagome-chan me. I'm so sick of both of you fighting over me like I'm a piece of toy. Inuyasha," she turned to him, the older teen flinching as he received the full intensity of her glare, "stop acting like a little baby and throwing tantrums all of the time."

"But-"

"And Shisui," she ignored his protests and turned to the short-haired teen. "I don't even know why you came here! If all you were planning to do was to annoy Inuyasha then you and Itachi should've just stayed in the village." She took a shaky breath. "You know what? I just want the both of you to leave me the hell alone!"

Kagome hissed out, feeling but a small pang of guilt when she saw that her words hurt them. But what else was she supposed to do? All she wanted was some peace and quiet and for them to allow her to worry in peace but _no_.

They just couldn't stop fighting with each other every step of every day during the trip.

Inuyasha was fuming silently, his face burning in embarrassment as he shifted uncomfortably. His eyes were riveted to the ground, unable to meet her gaze.

Shisui remained frozen, his lip set in a firm line of annoyance as he continued to stare at the young girl. He initially didn't even know what to say. Sure she had screamed at him before but that was usually because he had done something perverted. She had never spoken to him like this before.

"Let's just go," Kagome muttered, turning around. She strode past Sesshoumaru before she felt a strong hand clamp tightly around her upper arm, preventing her from taking another step.

She turned to see Shisui looming over her, his own dark eyes swirling with emotions. The thought occurred to her that this wasn't the same cheerful and laid back Shisui that she had grown accustomed to. The lips that so easily spat out jokes that used to make her laugh was now set in a thin line.

"Shisui, calm down," Itachi repeated softly, quietly making his way around Sango and Hikaru, to stand beside his cousin. He glanced down at Kagome, noting her slight wince when Shisui gripped her arm tighter, his frown deepening. "You're hurting her."

"Well, maybe someone _should_ snap some sense into her," the older Uchiha snapped back refusing to let go of the girl that had just yelled at him. Uchiha Shisui had a lot of pride and he did not take to being yelled at kindly, not even by Kagome.

"You know why me and Itachi insisted to come along on this mission, _Kagome-chan_?" he asked resentfully, tugging Kagome so she was pressed against him, her eyes glaring and her lips set in a resolute pout, "it was for you."

"Yeah, well, news flash Shisui, I don't need you or Itachi."

Shisui laughed darkly, ignoring Kagome's attempts to escape from his hold. "Really? Because from where I'm standing, you've been moping all over the place and we were just trying to cheer you up."

"…Moping all over the place?" she asked slowly. Did he not even realize what she was going through right now?

"Exactly. We just came here to help you and instead you start screaming at _me_-" He paused when Kagome muttered something under her breath so low that he had to strain to hear it. "What did you say?"

She tilted her head up and even Itachi had to flinch at the fury that were in her eyes. "Let. Me. Go."

"No. We have to talk."

"_Now_."

Shisui opened his mouth as if to retort but Itachi gripped his other arm, causing him to pause. "This is not the time Shisui," he murmured calmly, darting a glance at Kagome. His cousin might not have realized it but Itachi could see that Kagome was nearing her limit. He needed to stop this before either of them said anything that they would just regret later on.

Shisui glanced back at Kagome, his brows furrowed deeper at the thought that perhaps he was doing more harm than good. His shoulders slumped and exhaling slowly, he reluctantly loosened his hold on her. Kagome rubbed her arm, drawing both Uchihas' attention to her.

"I didn't mean to-," Shisui trailed off, sounding remorseful as a frown tugged on his lips when he noticed her arm was slightly swelling from where his fingers had taken a hold of her.

"Let's just go," Kagome replied after a moment, her eyes averted. Her anger was draining away only to be replaced with an overwhelming tiredness. "I'm just," she sighed, "over this entire mission. The quicker we get to Konoha, the better."

Without another word, she strolled past the two Uchihas, the singer that they were supposed to be guarding, her team members, and stalked forward not bothering to spare a glance at any of them.

"Kagome…" Though still embarrassed, Inuyasha made a move to walk besides the troubled kunoichi but stopped when Sango placed a hand on him, shaking her head.

"Don't Inuyasha. She just needs some time." The young two-tailed cat that was currently on the ground nuzzled up to the amber-eyed genin, mewing softly as if to comfort him.

"But-"

"Sango is right," Sesshoumaru said, crossing his arms as he paused to stare at her retreating back. "She's going through quite a bit at the moment. Just give her some distance to properly deal with it."

Inuyasha looked like he was about to argue but thought better of it, choosing to stomp forwards with a grunt.

Shisui sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Maybe I shouldn't have been in her face like that," he said regretfully. "Tsk." He muttered something incoherent as he walked ahead to join with the others. Though it was significantly quieter, the air between the teens was still strained and tense.

Itachi watched the entire situation calmly, silently disagreeing with Sango and Sesshoumaru's advice to leave Kagome alone to deal with her situation.

He thought that was the best idea too but three months later, Kagome had just become more and more withdrawn. He didn't know whether it was selfish of him to be feeling so irked by the fact that Kagome had essentially ignored him, choosing to wallow in her own worries and doubts. But he had let it go. He understood that she was concerned about her brother, her father, and probably even Kakashi.

But now, he knew that he should have never just left her alone to deal with her problems herself.

He steeled his determination, intent on confronting Kagome during the festival. She would, undoubtedly, be angry or snarky at him but he would make sure that she knew that whether she liked it or not, he would be there for her.

Uchiha Itachi would not be discarded so easily.

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Thousands of wasps littered the ground besides the three fallen shinobis but they had done their part as the potent poison was effectively coursing through their veins.

Kakashi breathed out shakily as he laid on the ground, a line of blood trickling from his mouth. He tried to rise but the only reaction was a slight shaking of his fingers.

"Let me just say," Bankotsu said dryly, his eyes closed as he laid with his back to the ground, "this mission sucks big time."

Kakashi was about to retort when suddenly, the faint sound of clapping could be heard from the surrounding forest. With an audible grunt, he tilted his head and was able to see an outline emerging from the shrubbery.

"Well done." The figure said. "Just as expected from shinobis from the_ great_ village of Konohagakure."

With the sharingan activated, Kakashi's eyes narrowed as the outline became more defined and a man – or what he assumed was a man – came strutting towards them, wearing what looked to be a baboon pelt. Instincts honed over the years reacted strongly to the ominous aura emanating from the figure.

"Who the hell are you?" Bankotsu bit out, his cobalt eyes also trained on him.

"You tell me. I heard you've been looking for me," the male answered, a tint of mocking amusement in his voice. Red eyes glinted behind the mask, the white fur swaying casually with the wind.

"You're the man that has been killing all of those villagers," Higurashi Takumi uttered, more as a statement than as a question. Like Kakashi, he knew that there was something…wrong – something almost inhuman – with the man that was standing before them. He let out a low curse after failing to stand up, the muscles in his legs and arms quivering painfully.

The figure turned to the older shinobi, shaking his head at his attempts to rise. "Even your training will do you no good here. The poison from my Saimyōshō is very effective in rendering even the most skilled shinobi incapacitated. Actually," he amended, "the fact that all of you were able to survive so many stings is…quite impressive. I expected perhaps one of you to survive but for all three of you," they could practically hear the smirk in his voice as he continued, "to still be alive, _bravo_."

Kakashi tensed as he felt yet another presence slowly coming towards them.

The stranger turned behind him just as a small girl slowly glided from the dark forest. "Ah, Kanna. I was waiting for you."

The girl had pale skin, whiter than Kakashi had ever seen, with white flowers in her even whiter hair. But what disturbed Kakashi most about this small girl was the absolutely lifeless look in her dark orbs as she looked up at the other male.

"You know what to do Kanna," he ordered, his red eyes narrowed in glee.

Kakashi heard Bankotsu inhale sharply as the ghostly female slinked over to the older Higurashi male, a silver mirror materializing in her arms as she moved.

"And Kanna," she turned as the baboon-clothed male spoke again, "there is no need to keep him alive."

"W-wait, what are you-?" There was a shadow of fear etched in Bankotsu's voice as the small girl lifted the mirror in front of the older Higurashi who just looked at the small girl that was the same age as his own daughter, no fear or panic evident in his eyes; Kakashi's stomach dropped as he saw what he recognized as somber resignation on the face of the man that he had been in ANBU with for the past several years.

"Are you not afraid of death?" the male asked once more.

Takumi exhaled slowly yet refused to look away from the mirror that showed a haunting reflection of himself. "I see no reason. Death is only a part of living. I see no reason to fear it."

"Father-" Bankotsu choked out, trying in vain to stand on his feet. He coughed when the baboon-clothed man appeared before him and held him down by placing a foot on his chest.

"Do it."

Kakashi could only watch in mild horror as the older Higurashi seemed to freeze suddenly. He took in one unsteady breath and gently closed his blue eyes as something white and glowing slowly drifted from his mouth. Kakashi was filled with something akin to morbid fascination as the glowing light travelled and disappeared within the mirror. Bankotsu could be heard screaming his father's name but only silence answered his call.

"What kinda crazy jutsu was that?" he yollered out, jerking up in an attempt to get rid of the foot bearing down on him.

"My kind of jutsu," came the vague reply. "Now if I am correct, you have something of mine…something precious."

"What is he talking about Bankotsu?" asked Kakashi tersely, his two eyes still honed in on the small girl that was standing blankly before the prone body of his dead comrade.

"How the hell am I supposed to know?" Bankotsu demanded, mustering up enough energy to rub the tears that were streaming down his face.

"A couple of months ago," he started silkily, "a group of shinobis stopped by a small village and one particular shinobi was seen carrying a giant halberd…a weapon that resembled _this_," with relative ease that surprised the two ANBUs, the man raised the sword that was besides Bankotsu, one that normally required three men to even lift upright.

"So what? What the hell does that have to do with me?"

"Well, it does have something to do with a certain miko named Kaede…Ah so you do remember?"

"…"

_Kaede? Wasn't that the name of the old priestess who gave him the – _

Noting the way Bankotsu suddenly lapsed into silence, Kakashi knew that whatever the man was talking about, Bankotsu had to be a part of it.

"I…don't know what you're talking about."

A cold laugh left the man's lips as he crushed his boot deeper into Bankotsu's chest. "Come now. Let's not play pretend here. I am asking you what exactly you did with the Shikon Jewel."

"…"

"I can sense that it is not here with you…so where is it?"

"…"

Death would have to come first before he told the man that had just murdered his father that his sister had the object he was looking for.

"I can only assume that it is in the village…Perhaps I should have Kanna go to Konoha and retrieve what rightfully belongs to me."

"You can't!"

"…"

Bankotsu's eyes were wide and rapidly darting around, a new sense of panicked desperation growing in him. "I-I mean, there's no need to go to Konoha…I uh-sold that little trinket months ago. I-I don't even know where it is right now."

Red eyes knowingly flickered on the young shinobi's face, a smirk growing behind the baboon's mask.

"No!" A cry was ripped out of Kakashi as he saw the young girl treading softly to Bankotsu, a mirror in hand.

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**NEXT TIME: "Somebody to Lean On"**

In which Kagome and Itachi have a good ol' one-on-one bonding moment and Itachi shows her that friends aren't just those people you annoy when you're bored; sometimes, they're actually good for helping to cheer up a sad heart.

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**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

Thank you guys for all of your reviews and messages! I'm really sorry about taking forever and a day to update but college is seriously consuming my life right now haha.

Hopefully I'll be able to update again soon but just in case I don't, I just want you guys to know that it's not because I've given up on this story. I do try and update my profile as soon as something pops up so it keep an eye out open for that too.

As always, reviews are always appreciated and helps to keep this old soul going. (n_n) Y

Until next time.


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